IPC/WHMA-A-620 Training and Certification Program

• Program Benefits
• Program Details
• Training Course Topics
• Support for Training A-620 Instructors
• Support for Training A-620 Application Specialists
• Authorized Training Companies
  • Asia Pacific/Australia
  • Europe/Africa
  • North America

Revision B course materials are available now (Revision A course materials are still available)

Optional Hands-on Training Now Available

The A-620 Technical Training Committee has developed this optional hands-on training as a suggested method to help users become familiar with the basics of cable and wire harness fabrication. This course is suitable for both CIT and CIS training. Download the course materials.

Translated Training Materials

Translated training materials for the 620 Revision A program are currently available in Chinese, Danish and Spanish languages. IPC is working with translators to develop translations for the 620 Revision B courses.

Targeting Excellence in Cable and Wire Harness Manufacturing

Provides Support for Lead Free, Testing and Modular Training at the Application Level!

IPC/WHMA-A-620, Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies, now at Revision B published October 2012, is the first industry consensus standard for cable and wire harness fabrication and installation. Classes of products are defined and include criteria for Target, Acceptable, Process Indicator and Defect conditions to support the collection of visual quality acceptability requirements for each class. These criteria are supported by 682 full-color illustrations.

Revision B, developed during a six-year process by members from user and supplier companies, represents a consensus among industry leaders. The IPC Wire Harness Acceptability Task Group of the Product Assurance Committee and the Wire Harness Manufacturers' Association Industry Technical Guidelines Committee prepared this standard.

IPC/WHMA-A-620 describes acceptability criteria for crimped, mechanically secured and soldered interconnection and the corresponding lacing/restraining criteria associated with cable and harness assemblies.

An industry developed and approved program that includes training, certification and instructional materials based on the IPC/WHMA-A-620B is available to your company. Thousands of individuals have been trained to be IPC/WHMA-A-620 Certified IPC Trainers (CIT). A comprehensive and technically accurate program, IPC/WHMA-A-620 Training and Certification provides Certified IPC Trainers with high quality materials and detailed instructional plans that have been used for training Certified IPC Application Specialists (CIS) at all levels, including buyers, sales teams and management. More than 20,000 A-620 Application Specialists have been trained.

Program Benefits

Certification demonstrates commitment to customer requirements and greatly facilitates certification to ISO Certification or other quality assurance initiatives. By having earned this portable credential, you'll receive immediate recognition, legitimacy and value throughout the electronics industry.

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How the IPC/WHMA-A-620 Certification Program Works

The IPC/WHMA-A-620 training and certification program has two tiers of instruction. Certified IPC Trainer candidates are sent by their parent companies to receive intensive training and are then certified to provide Application Specialist training.

• Certified IPC Trainers will participate in a week-long program that has 29 instructional hours. An optional eight hour hands-on course is available.
• Application Specialist training is modular and training/certification can be limited to the topics specific to an individual’s work requirements.

Download the A-620B course synopsis (schedule format) (.pdf).

All IPC/WHMA-A-620 Certified IPC Trainers receive instructional materials for conducting Application Specialist training. These include:

• A CD-ROM with nearly 800 full color teaching visuals illustrating every aspect of the IPC/WHMA-A-620B document and training information and all reports and forms required for conducting Application Specialist training
• An Instructor Guide, providing complete instructions for conducting the Application Specialist training and testing
• The IPC/WHMA-A-620B Requirements and Acceptance of Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies
• Open Application Specialist Written Examinations
• IPC certificate of course completion

Application Specialist training materials, including certificates, may be purchased from IPC only by Certified IPC Trainers and the companies they represent. Certified IPC Trainers may teach the course at any location and set a training fee, if applicable.

The term for an IPC/WHMA-A-620 certification is two years. Instructor certification and re-certification training is conducted primarily at IPC Authorized Training Centers but may be conducted by the training center at company facilities.

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Some WHMA-A-620 Instructor Training Course Topics

• Cable and wire dimensioning, tolerances and preparation
• Crimp terminations:
  • Stamped and formed contacts
  • Machined Contacts
• Insulation displacement connections
• Ultrasonic welding
• Soldered terminations
• Splices
• Connectorization
• Molding and potting
• Marking and labeling
• Co-ax and twin-ax assembly
• Wire bundle securing
• Shielding
• Installation
• Wire wrap (solderless)
• Testing of Cable/Wire Harness Assemblies

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Authorized Training Centers

The organizations listed below have been licensed to provide the IPC/WHMA-A-620 Training and Certification Program. Centers operate independently and set their own course schedules and fees. To register for the program, contact a training center. For program information, e-mail certification@ipc.org or contact IPC at +1 847-597-2802.

Asia Pacific & Australia

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Europe/Africa

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North America

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