ASSOCIATION CONNECTING ELECTRONICS …

1 IPC-A-600 GAcceptability ofPrinted BoardsDeveloped by the IPC-A-600 Task Group (7-31a) of the ProductAssurance Committee (7-30) of IPCU sers of this publication are encouraged to participate in thedevelopment of future :IPC2215 Sanders RoadNorthbrook, Illinois60062-6135 Tel 847 847 :IPC-A-600F - November 1999 ASSOCIATION CONNECTINGELECTRONICS Approach To This Acceptance Applicable Dimensions And Terms And Externally Observable Board .. Burrs .. Burrs .. Base Exposure .. Texture .. Fibers .. and Voids .. Base Material .. Inclusions .. Solder Coatings and Fused Tin .. Holes Plated-Through .. Ring .. - Copper Plating .. - Finished Coating .. Lands - (Visual) .. Holes .. Printed Plating - General .. Plating - Wire Bond Pads .. on Edge-Board Contacts .. of Overplate .. Marking.

2 Or Ink StampedMarking .. Solder Resist (Solder Mask).. Over Conductors(Skip Coverage) .. to Holes (All Finishes) .. to Other ConductivePatterns .. Grid Array (Solder Resist-Defined Lands) .. Grid Array (Copper-DefinedLands) .. Grid Array (Solder Dam) .. (Flaking or Peeling) .. (Via Holes) .. Strawing .. Pattern Definition - Width and Spacing .. Conductor Width .. Conductor Spacing .. Annular Ring -Measurement .. Annular Ring -Supported Holes .. Annular Ring -Unsupported Holes .. Internally Observable Dielectric Voids (Outside ThermalZone) .. to Holes .. Hole, Unsupported,to Power/Ground Planes .. 61 Table of ContentsiiiIPC-A-600 GJuly .. Etchback .. Removal .. Material, Clearance,Metal Plane for Supported Holes .. Spacing .. Recession .. Conductive Patterns - Characteristics .. and Etch .. Conductor Thickness(Foil Plus Plating) .. Thickness - Internal Layers.

3 Plated-Through Holes - Ring - Internal Layers .. Lands - (Cross-Sections) .. Crack - (Internal Foil) C Crack .. Crack - (External Foil) .. Crack - (Barrel) E Crack .. Crack - (Corner) F Crack .. Nodules .. Plating Thickness -Hole Wall .. Voids .. Coating Thickness(Only When Specified) .. Resist Thickness .. Wicking, Clearance Holes .. Separation - Vertical(Axial) Microsection .. Separation - Horizontal(Transverse) Microsection .. Fill of Blind and BuriedVias .. Plated-Through Holes - .. Plated-Through Holes - and Nodules .. Flexible And Rigid-Flex Printed Coverage - CoverfilmSeparations .. Coat CoverageAdhesives .. Squeeze-Out -Land Area .. Squeeze-Out -Foil Surface .. Hole Registration forCoverlayer and Stiffeners .. Defects .. Bonding .. Zone, Rigid Area toFlexible Area .. Wicking/Plating MigrationUnder Coverlayer .. Integrity .. Integrity - FlexiblePrinted Wiring.

4 Integrity - Rigid-FlexPrinted Wiring .. (Type 3 andType 4 Only) .. Removal (Type 3and 4 Only) .. Edges/EdgeDelamination .. Metal Core Printed Classifications .. Laminated Type .. Thickness, InsulatedMetal Substrate .. Material Fill, LaminatedType Metal Core .. in Insulation Material Fill,Laminated Type .. Bond to Plated-ThroughHole Wall .. Flush Printed of Surface Conductor .. Cleanliness Solderability Holes .. Electrical 124 Table of ContentsivIPC-A-600 GJuly SCOPEThis document describes the preferred, acceptable , and non-conforming conditions that are either externally or internallyobservable on printed boards. It represents the visual interpre-tation of minimum requirements set forth in various printedboard specifications, ; IPC-6010 series, ANSI/J-STD-003, PURPOSEThe visual illustrations in this document portray specific crite-ria of the requirements of current IPC specifications.

5 In orderto properly apply and use the content of this document , theprinted wiring product should comply with the design require-ments of the applicable IPC-2220 series document and theperformance requirements of the applicable IPC-6010 seriesdocument. In the event the printed wiring product does notcomply with these or equivalent requirements, then theacceptance criteria should be as defined between a user andsupplier agreement as part of the procurement illustrations in this document portray specific criteria relat-ing to the heading and subheading of each page, with briefdescriptions of the acceptable and nonconforming conditionsfor each product class. (See Classification.) The visualquality acceptance criteria are intended to provide propertools for the evaluation of visual anomalies. The illustrationsand photographs in each situation are related to specificrequirements. The characteristics addressed are those thatcan be evaluated by visual observation and/or measurementof visually observable by appropriate user requirements, this documentshould provide effective visual criteria to quality assurance andmanufacturing document cannot cover all of the reliability concernsencountered in the printed board industry; therefore,attributes not addressed in this issueshallbe agreed uponbetween user and supplier.

6 The value of this document lies inits use as a baseline document that may be modified byexpansions, exceptions, and variations which may be appro-priate for specific is a document for minimum acceptability requirementsand is not intended to be used as a performance specificationfor printed board manufacture or the event of a conflict between the requirements of thisdocument and the applicable product performance specifica-tion, the following precedenceshallbe used:a) Approved Printed Board Procurement Documentb) Generic Specificationsc) Applicable Performance Specificationd) Acceptability of Printed Boards (IPC-A-600)When making accept and/or reject decisions, the awarenessof documentation precedence must be document is a tool for observing how a product maydeviate due to variation in processes. Refer to provides a useful tool for understanding and inter-pretating Automated Inspection Technology (AIT) results. AITmay be applicable to the evaluation of many of the dimen-sional characteristics illustrated in this APPROACH TO THIS DOCUMENTC haracteristics are divided into two general groups: Externally Observable (Section 2) Internally Observable (Section 3) Externally observable conditions are those features orimperfections which can be seen and evaluated on or fromthe exterior surface of the board.

7 In some cases, such asvoids or blisters, the actual condition is an internal phenom-enon and is detectable from the exterior. Internally observable conditions are those features orimperfections that require microsectioning of the specimen orother forms of conditioning for detection and evaluation. Insome cases, these features may be visible from the exteriorand require microsectioning in order to assess should be illuminated during evaluation to theextent needed for effective examination. The illuminationshould be such that no shadow falls on the area of interestexcept those shadows caused by the specimen itself. It isrecommended that polarization and/or dark field illuminationbe employed to prevent glare during the examination of highlyreflective CLASSIFICATIONThis document recognizes that the acceptable extent ofimperfection for specific characteristics of printed boards maybe determined by the intended end use.

8 For this reason, threegeneral classes have been established based on functionalreliability and performance 1 General Electronic products: Includes consumerproducts, some computer and computer peripherals suitablefor applications where cosmetic imperfections are not impor-tant, and the major requirement is function of the completedprinted 2 Dedicated Service Electronic Products: Includescommunications equipment, sophisticated businessmachines, and instruments where high performance INTRODUCTIONI ntroduction1 IPC-A-600 GJuly 2004