IPC-1402, Standard for Green Cleaners Used in Electronics Manufacturing Now Open for Public Review

IPC’s draft version of IPC-1402, Standard for Green Cleaners Used in Electronics Manufacturing, is now open for public review. The draft standard has been progressing through the standards process since fall of 2021 and, despite some minor delays in the draft development timelines – delays are common during consensus-based standards development processes – the draft is now ready for public review through July 15, 2022.

The draft IPC-1402 standard has been developed by an international group of volunteers and key governmental agencies from Asia, Europe, and North America. This first-of-its-kind standard for the electronics manufacturing industry defines and sets minimum criteria for green cleaners – chemical cleaners meeting a defensible set of green chemistry requirements – used in electronics manufacturing processes. Also, this standard to provides a core set of foundational environmental, health and safety requirements, which aim at reducing impacts and improving the safety of cleaning products.

“IPC-1402 reflects the electronic industry’s commitment to advance green electronics and workplace safety and will expand IPC’s existing 300-plus catalog of electronics manufacturing standards to include safer, greener practices,” said Teresa Rowe, IPC senior director, assembly and standards technology. “IPC standards are truly industry made and we encourage industry to review the draft standard. Bringing IPC-1402 to our industry is an important step forward in building a sustainable electronics manufacturing ecosystem.”

IPC encourages company personnel whose company uses chemical cleaners on electronic products or components, or on machines and tooling used during operations and maintenance to review the draft standard and provide comments to the task group charged with drafting and finalizing this standard. The draft document is freely available and reviewers can participate in the process by submitting comments about this draft industry standard by mid-July. Reviewers can request a copy of the draft document and instructions on how to submit comments, by e-mailing answers@ipc.org.

At the end of this public review period, comments will be consolidated, and the standards development team will work towards resolution of comments. Then, the final document will move to the ballot group for consensus vote. IPC-1402 is expected to be released mid-December 2022.