JTT Assembly Solder Standards vs. IPC-A-610

JTT Assembly Solder Standards and Comparison to IPC-A-610 Class 3
The IPC-A-610 standard provides rules for through-hole and surface mount PCB solder joints, which have been widely accepted throughout the electronics industry. This standard defines three classes, numbered 1 through 3, that are to be applied depending on the level of reliability required.

​So why three classes? Although it may seem logical to always require Class 3, this level of quality can be expensive to obtain, and the extra reliability may be over-kill in some applications.
 
IPC-A-610 differentiates between the three classes in this way:
 
Class 1 is meant for PCBs used in general-purpose applications. In these PCBs, reliability is important, but so is cost, and Class 1 strikes a balance between cost and reliability that makes sense for products such as inexpensive consumer electronics.
 
At the other end of the spectrum, Class 3 is meant for applications requiring the high reliability, and where cost is much less of an issue. Class 2 (of course) falls between the other classes.
 
JTT Assembly treats every PCB it assembles as though it is destined for a very high-reliability application. In fact, our standards meet, and often exceed the requirements of IPC-A-610 Class 3, as shown below.
 
Following are JTT Assembly’s standards for through-hole and SMT solder joints: