IPC-A-610 certification can be cumbersome and time consuming. We streamline the process, train small to large groups in two days and help ensure certifications never lapse. All on your timeline at your facility.
IPC-A-610, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies, is the most widely used visual inspection standard in electronics manufacturing. It replaces opinion with photographs and measurable criteria, covering every part of an assembly a person can see.
Taught to the latest revision.
What it sets criteria for
Inspectors, quality staff, assembly operators, manufacturing engineers and the supervisors who sign off on their work. If someone in your building decides whether a board ships, they should hold this.
A customer or registrar flagged your inspection process and wants documented, traceable certification behind it.
New people and veterans alike are inspecting against tribal knowledge instead of the standard.
Twenty-four months came around faster than expected and you have people about to fall out of compliance.
You won work that calls out Class 3 or names A-610 in the purchase order, and now you have to show certified people.
Orlando has 25 years in manufacturing, from building boards in production to QA inspection, quality engineering and training, across oil exploration, medical devices, defense electronics and space. He has run more than 500 trainings across San Diego County in the last four years, and he is a Certified IPC Trainer, authorized by IPC to teach and certify your people to the standard.
What is covered
The product classes are levels of strictness. The modules are the actual subject matter. Each one runs about an hour, covers the accept and reject criteria for all three classes, and ends in an open book exam taken the same day. A full Certified IPC Specialist certification requires passing all seven.
Module 1 is mandatory for every student. Some shops certify people on a subset of the remaining modules when a role only touches part of the standard. We will tell you whether that is a reasonable call for your line or whether it will cause you problems later.
We run a short discovery call to learn the nuances of your business, walk you through the training plan, lock down the date, and prep you and your team.
Module 1 and the first block of technical modules, each followed by its open book exam. Students test the same day they learn the material rather than sitting one long exam at the end.
Run through the remaining modules and exams. Anyone who did not pass a Day 1 exam breaks away from the group for a second pass with the instructor.
Every student is registered by name and the certification is traceable through IPC, now the Global Electronics Association. You get the full roster for your records.
The class comes to your floor. The certification is identical either way. What changes is how long your people are off the line.
| Applied Conformance | An outside training center | |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | IPC certification, registered by name | The same IPC certification |
| Where | Your building | Their training center, often out of town |
| Time off the floor | 2 days | Usually a full week |
| Cost | One price per student, IPC exam included | Tuition, plus flights, hotels and per diem |
| Scheduling | Dates you pick, about a week from signed quote | The next public course date |
| Paperwork | One invoice and one roster | Separate registrations to reconcile |
Estimator
View an estimated cost based on your headcount. For an official estimate and information about the service, request a quote.
Need recertification instead of a first certification? We quote those directly. Ask us for a recert quote.
Your savings vs. a 5-day course
Your estimate
This is an estimate, not a contract.
Where should we send it?
For a full IPC-A-610 Specialist certification, yes. Module 1, covering general requirements, applicable documents and handling, is mandatory for every student, and the remaining six each end in an open book exam. Some shops certify people on a subset of modules when the role only touches part of the standard. We will tell you honestly whether that makes sense for your line.
They are the standard's three levels of strictness, and your certification covers all three. Class 1 is general electronic products that only have to work when you turn them on. Class 2 is dedicated service products where a failure costs money and downtime but nobody gets hurt. Class 3 is high performance and harsh environment hardware that cannot fail, like medical, aerospace and defense. The same solder joint can pass Class 2 and fail Class 3, which is why we teach all three.
No. IPC-A-610 is an inspection and acceptability standard, so the class is bookwork and exams. Your people learn to judge a board against the criteria, not to build one. If you need people certified to actually build to the standard, that is J-STD-001, and it does include a workmanship portion.
Always the latest revision. When IPC releases a new one, we update the class. If your customer documentation still calls out an earlier revision, tell us and we will cover the differences that matter to your process.
Twenty-four months. IPC allows a 90 day grace period after expiration, and you can recertify up to 90 days early without losing time, since the new expiration is measured from the original date rather than the class date. We track your roster dates and come back before anyone lapses.
IPC-A-610 tells you whether an assembly is acceptable. J-STD-001 tells you how to build it so that it is. A-610 certifies people to inspect and judge. J-STD-001 certifies people to manufacture to the requirement and includes hands-on workmanship. Inspection and quality teams usually need A-610. Operators building the product usually need J-STD-001. Plenty of shops run both.
One to ten students in a class. Seven is the sweet spot. Larger groups get split across consecutive days.
A conference room for the bookwork and the online exam, a computer for each student plus guest wifi, and your student roster with IPC usernames so certifications land correctly for audits. IPC-A-610 has no bench portion, so no workbench is needed. You also buy the IPC-A-610 book directly. We tell you which format fits and point you to a trusted supplier.
$1,950 per student, and the IPC exam credit is included, so nothing is billed on top for the exam. Use the estimator above to price your headcount and see the hours you get back. Books are a separate cost. The right format, hard copy, PDF or subscription, depends on how your team works, so we walk you through the options and help you buy.
Yes. Send us your roster with expiration dates and we will schedule around them. Recertification is shorter than an initial certification and we can usually fold it into a visit where you are also certifying new hires.
Send over the headcount and a rough timeframe. We’ll reach out shortly to set up a quick discovery call.