BEST is an IPC Master Certification Solder Training Center offering Instructor and Operator courses for IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC/WHMA 620, IPC 7711/7721 as well as customized classes to meet you specific standards or criteria. Our IPC Training Division employs some of the most experienced instructors in the industry. We offer customized classes for SMT, Advanced SMT, and BGA Rework classes on site at your facility or at our headquarters near Chicago, Illinois. All classes are all taught by instructors who not only know the material, but have also performed the techniques thousands of times on our customer's boards to prove their "real life" effectiveness and reliability. BEST has performed IPC and Custom Solder Training Courses for customers throughout the United States such as Motorola, Nokia, IBM, Solectron, Flextronics, Erricson, Tellabs, Plexus, 3COM, GE Medical, Siemens, Sanmina, Rockwell,  Northrop, and  many more.

BEST is a leader in training technology. BEST has trained thousands of soldering technicians with a long list of satisfied customers. Whether you send one student or one hundred, we take the time to determine what you want from the training experience, and then deliver it. BEST has developed courses that emphasize "hands-on" work, and students are evaluated on the quality of that work. BEST is the only IPC Certification Center to offer the Mobile Training Center...a fully equipped, mobile soldering lab available at your door to teach the latest IPC standards and techniques. BEST brings the classroom to you!

Why choose BEST for solder and rework/repair training?

We're glad you asked, because we're proud of what people that we have trained are saying about us... (more testimonials)
 
• We're better…at customizing courses to meet your company's specific needs. We will discuss your specific applications and goals in order to tailor the class to meet those objectives. We will even utilize your PCBs in the class as much as possible to emulate your production environment in our classroom. This will insure that your students can immediately apply their new skills once they get back on the job.

• We're better…at customizing courses to meet your company's specific needs. We will discuss your specific applications and goals in order to tailor the class to meet those objectives. We will even utilize your PCBs in the class as much as possible to emulate your production environment in our classroom. This will insure that your students can immediately apply their new skills once they get back on the job.

• We're better...at providing more practically-oriented instructors. Our instructors are not just "book learned", rather they have practical experience. This experience has been gained by working on rework/repair projects as part of the rework/repair division. There they have worked on hundreds of different projects giving them a vast experience base to draw upon. In addition all BEST instructors have worked at either OEMS or contract manufacturers meaning they can speak your language and bring practical examples in to their lessons.

• We're better...at providing a variety of options for delivering training services whether it be with our mobile training center, our on-site specific product or process training, our on-line recertification's or our-Midwest based training facility.


Assembly Courses
J-STD-001D CIT/CIS
Customized Solder Training
SMT Assembly Boot Camp

BEST can help bring new methods, tricks of the trade and refresher materials to your operators. With the requirements and methods established in IPC J-STD-001 and IPC A-610-D acceptability standards as background, BEST professional instructors will help your associates become more proficient soldering technicians. Customized courses, where specific assembly materials, components or solders/fluxes are used to train for a specific skill set is our specialty. This program is a "hands-on" experience. The majority of the time is spent on practicing skills, students experience the technology first hand. Anyone involved in the assembly of electronics with Wires & Terminals, Through-Hole and Surface Mount components should be certified using this program.

The J-STD-001 “Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies” has become the authority for electronics assembly manufacturing and has been adopted by the DOD. The standard describes materials, methods and verification criteria for producing high quality soldered interconnections. The standard emphasizes process control and sets industry consensus requirements for a broad range of electronic products. Rev D includes lead-free workmanship standards.

The IPC, in conjunction with industry experts, has developed a training and certification program based on the J-STD-001. The instructor program is based on a train-the-trainer model, and companies seeking to create a “IPC J-STD-001 Registered Instructor” send their candidates to an IPC Approved Certification Center such as BEST Inc. Prospective registered instructors should have extensive training not only in soldering, but in instruction as well. Instructor candidates who successfully complete the soldering workmanship portions of the course and the certification examination are given the instructional materials needed for training operators. Upon completion of this course, instructors are certified for two years. Operators are also certified for a period of two years upon successful completion of the workmanship and inspection portions of the class.

More information on the IPC J-STD-001 training programs

BEST’s SMT electronics assembly course provides SMT technicians, SMT operators, engineers and other personnel new to SMT assembly with the knowledge and the understanding of the steps involved in the manufacturing of modern electronic assemblies. This course is meant for those involved in electronics manufacturing who desire a thorough understanding of surface mounted electronic assemblies and all the processes involved in their manufacturing. Practical assembly techniques, hands-on demonstrations, local area plant tours and explanations by a variety of experts in the field as well as classroom lectures are used to emphasize the teaching points. The student will be exposed to 50% lab/plant tour information with the balance being classroom lectures. This practical aspect to the teaching as well as the practical experience of the BEST instructors make the BEST SMT boot camp a truly unique experience. Participants will walk away with a clear understanding of the many steps involved in electronic assembly processtaught by a variety of instructors with real world experiences. Since we a re a professional training company and we do not sell equipment our class teaches the concepts without being machine or company specific. Other customized SMT and electronics assembly courses are also available upon request.

More information on the BEST SMT Boot Camp

Specific classes and schedules
 

Inspection Courses
IPC-A-610D CIT/CIS

The IPC-A-610D, “Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies” is the most widely used specification published by the IPC for the electronics manufacturing industry. This publication is a visual document that provides comprehensive accept/reject criteria for handling of electronic assemblies, mechanical assemblies, component installation, location, orientation, soldering, cleanliness of assemblies, marking of assemblies, coatings, laminate  conditions, discrete wiring assembly and surface mount assemblies. The IPC-A-610D now includes criteria for lead-free soldering and BGAs.

BEST, Inc. also offers the IPC-A-610D Worker’s Proficiency class. Upon satisfactory completion of this course, participants will be able to make correct "accept/reject"
decisions for the appropriate class/classes of production, based on the acceptability requirements of the IPC-A-610D.

BEST Inc is a Master Certification Center for the IPC-A-610D and offers the CIT certification to professionals throughout the industry. The instructor program is based on a
train-the-trainer model, and companies seeking to create a “IPC-A-610D instructor” send their candidates to BEST.

More information on the IPC A610 training programs

Specific classes and schedules
 

Rework and Repair Courses

IPC-7711/IPC-7721 CIT/CIS
Mixed Technology Rework
SMT Rework
Advanced SMT Hand Assembly

IPC’s Rework, Repair and Modification training and Certification Program using IPC-7711 and IPC-7721 documents are the first formal training program from IPC specifically designed for component rework and bare board level repair. This is IPC’s most comprehensive, hands on training program with more than half of the course content spent in lab. This is an advanced course where the students will be evaluated on both lab and course work, and advanced prior soldering experiences is recommended.

The IPC-7711 & 7721 courses will teach proficiency in rework and repair at the expert level. IPC 7711 and 7721 registered instructors are formally recognized and certified by IPC and given the instructional materials required to conduct the modularized operator-training program. Prospective students should have advanced soldering experiences.

BGA courses are designed for students that require the hands-on skill and knowledge to reliably remove and replace a variety of BGA components. Students are taught a practical approach for reliable BGA component removal, replacement and reballing. The course includes a review of thermal profiling, preheat considerations, process techniques and a review and interpretation of endoscopic and x-ray results. After a short classroom time the students will learn hands-on site removal, site prep, replacement, solder paste printing, flux usage and inspection per the latest IPC standards.

BEST rework and repair courses, include our Mixed Technology, SMT and Advanced SMT Hand Assembly and rework courses. BEST, Inc. offers customized classes to meet our customer’s specific needs. All of our classes are in accordance with the IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC-7711 and IPC-7721 and students receive a certification from BEST, Inc. All of the BEST, Inc. classes are approximately 85% hands-on, and are designed to dramatically raise the skill set of the emphasizing correct soldering techniques. Students are evaluated on their hands-on work, as opposed to an administrative test. This method has been proven to help the student retain the information he/she has learned, and insured that they can accomplish the rework tasks required for their job function. Our philosophy is to focus and teach on technique versus equipment so your technicians can be versatile and confident on the job.

Specific classes and schedules
 

Wire Harness & Cable Installation Courses
IPC/WHMA-A-620 CIS

The IPC/WHMA-A-620 is an industry consensus standard for cable and wire harness fabrication and installation used by both military and commercial contractors. 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. This criteria is supported by 500 full-color illustrations.

The topics covered in this inspection course include solder and crimp terminations, insulation displacement connections (IDC), ultrasonic welding, splices, connectorization, molding and potting, cable assembly and wires and much more.

Specific classes and schedules
 

ESD Courses
Based on IPC and EOS/ESD 2020 Guidelines

These classes cover the basic concepts of ESD, how it occurs, proper precautionary measures required to avoid electronic damage to sensitive electronic components, how to control ESD by working in ESD protected areas and workstations, proper mitigation techniques, proper handling techniques and use of personal grounding devices. More advanced coursework is available upon request. Students will receive a certificate of completion from BEST. We can also help you set up your EOS/ESD program, provide training for your instructors or provide EOS/ESD audits.

Specific classes and schedules

Lead-Free Courses
Based on IPC Guidelines
Lead-Free Hand Soldering Introduction
Lead-Free BGA Rework
Lead-Free Mixed Technology Rework
Lead-Free SMT Rework
Advanced Hand Assembly for lead-free Processes
Lead-Free LAN and Intranet-based Courses

BEST lead-free hand soldering courses are designed to teach the fundamentals of lead free soldering and its impact to the general soldering process. Anyone involved in the assembly of electronics with wires & terminals, through-hole and surface mount components in a lead-free environment should attend this class. This is an introductory program to provide hand soldering operators and inspectors with a first hand view of the impact of adding lead-free soldering alloys and fluxes to the production and manufacturing environment.

Lead-Free soldering will not only impact the assembly process, but every facet of the soldering process, from a new inventory of parts, solder alloys, flux changes, contaminate free soldering irons, tips, tip temperatures, sponges and virtually everything that comes in contact with the soldering process. These topics will be discussed along with new accept/reject issues, which must be considered, and the impacts of various alloys on those processes. Practical sessions allow the students to experience first hand the use of lead-free solders and the way it reacts differently than lead based products.

Our practical, skills based classes offered by BEST include the reworking of BGA and other SMT and through-hole devices. Standardized lead-free classes are available for mixed technology, SMT and BGA rework. Customized hand soldering classes can be developed based on these standardized outlines to accommodate your specific materials, components and processes.

Specific classes and schedules

For high quality training and equipment, there is only one that is BEST!