The IPC-1750 Series:  A Family of Supplier Declaration Standards
Simplifying how Industry Collects, Tracks and
Discloses Product Material Content Information

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., June 10, 2005 – As many companies struggle to determine their strategy for meeting the European Union (EU) Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive and other materials restrictions, companies throughout the supply chain are being inundated with a multitude of differing, detailed requests for information about the precise materials content of their products.

For more than a year now, global efforts by IPC, iNEMI and RosettaNet have been underway to simplify and standardize how the industry collects, tracks and discloses product material content information.  The industry’s leading OEMs, EMS providers and solution providers, working through two iNEMI projects, defined a data collection process flow and data format for industry-standard material composition data exchange.

From these efforts has come a family of supplier declaration standards, namely two in draft form, IPC-1751, Generic Requirements for Declaration Process Management – describing all generic requirements, including company information and, IPC-1752, Materials Declaration Management – establishing electronic data formats and providing standardized forms to simplify the exchange of materials declaration information.

The draft standards and PDF forms were released today, June 10, 2005, for a 60-day industry review and can be accessed at http://www.ipc.org/IPC-175X.  Once all feedback has been reconciled according to the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standards approval process, the standards will be issued.

IPC-1752 -- How it works

IPC-1752 outlines a supply chain materials declaration format and process that provides a simple, effective approach to assist companies in meeting environmental regulation compliance.  The standard provides a material content declaration (MCD) form, which will simplify and improve material composition data exchange throughout the supply chain, driving cost savings and efficiencies.  The forms are based on an underlying XML schema, which in turn is represented by a UML data model. Data entered into the form is forced to conform to the schema requirements because the form design tool binds the schema elements directly to the form fields, thereby ensuring a higher level of data quality.  The data captured by these forms can then be extracted and exchanged in a standard XML format which will conform to the related RosettaNet PIPs® (Partner Interface Process®).

The MCD forms facilitates three levels of declaration using two different forms: a general yes/no RoHS compliance declaration, a Class I JIG (Joint Industry Guide) declaration at the part level (IPC-1752-1 form), and a Class II declaration which includes RoHS and JIG substances at the homogeneous material level, along with related manufacturing parameters (IPC-1752-2 form). The forms can be exchanged via electronic means, from e-mail or Web interfaces to advanced and secure business-to-business methods.

For additional information on the IPC-1750 series, contact IPC’s Director of Technology Transfer, Dieter Bergman, at 847-597-2839 or DieterBergman@ipc.org or IPC’s Director of Environmental Policy, Fern Abrams, at 202-962-0460 or FAbrams@ipc.org.

Contact:
Sandy Gentry, IPC media relations manager
847-597-2871
SandyGentry@ipc.org

- ### -

About IPC

IPC is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its more than 2,200 member companies, which represent all facets of the electronic interconnection industry, including design, printed circuit board manufacturing and electronics assembly.  As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of a $40 billion U.S. industry employing more than 350,000 people.  IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Garden Grove, Calif.; Stockholm, Sweden; and Shanghai, China.  For more information, visit www.ipc.org.