Jul 20, 2011 
OK International is pleased to announce they will be sponsoring this year’s first annual hand soldering competition at the IPC Midwest Conference and Exhibition, September 21st and 22nd, 2011. Taking place at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois, the exhibition is free for attendees and allows them to meet experts from the electronics industry, see new technologies and evaluate suppliers all in one convenient location.
OK International is a leading global supplier of soldering tools and equipment for production assembly, so when the organizers approached the company about this sponsorship opportunity it seemed to be a perfect fit. As the sponsor, OK International will be providing Metcal MX-5000 series soldering stations for competitors to showcase their talents. Held over a two day period, the competition will pit competitors against each other to build a functional electronics assembly within a half-hour set time limit. Assemblies will then be judged on soldering in accordance with IPC-J-STD-001, the speed at which the assembly was produced and overall electrical functionality of the assembly. IPC-J-STD-001 Master Instructors will serve as the judges and have the final decision on who should be crowned Best Hand-Soldering Technician in the Midwest for 2011.
Jerry Simmons, Marketing Manager, commented, “OK International is pleased to be sponsoring this competition and to be promoting high quality soldering standards within the electronics industry. It provides those organizations who claim to be the best-of-the-best in the Midwest at hand soldering to show attendees what they are made of. The added bonus for competitors is the chance to win a cash prize of up to $500 and of course the best prize of all is to have the honor of being named the Best Hand-Soldering Technician in the Midwest. As a bonus, the winner will also be awarded the MX-5010 Soldering and Rework system they used in the competition. We hope that companies take advantage of this exposure to promote world class hand soldering to all those attending the show. We would like to wish all competitors the best of luck and look forward to seeing the results of their work at the show.”
In further support of the competition, OK International’s booth (#232) will act as a warm up area for competitors alongside its primary function of showcasing soldering, desoldering, rework and fume extraction products. Competitors will therefore be able to sort out those last minute preparations before they hit the stage. OK International recognizes that not everyone will wish to take part in the competition, so for those attendees who would just simply like to try their hand at soldering, OK International will be offering them the chance to try out the equipment for themselves. Experts from the OK International team will be on hand at the booth to provide best practice advice and demonstrations of the equipment.
Entries for the competition will be accepted until August 30th, 2011, and participants will then be notified of their accepted entry in early September, 2011.
To register please visit: http://www.ipcmidwestshow.org/secure/hand-soldering-competition.aspx
OK International is a leading global supplier of products for production assembly. The product range includes bench top soldering and desoldering tools, array package rework equipment, fluid dispensing systems and accessories, and fume extraction systems.
