IPC® International Inc., a global association for electronics manufacturers, has released a new standard for e-textile wearables called IPC-8981, Quality and Reliability of E-Textile Wearables.
This first-of-its-kind standard sets baselines for testing and classifying e-textile wearables, addressing key challenges in product reliability, performance and quality assurance. IPC-8981 introduces a common framework for evaluating wearables that integrate electronics directly into textile materials, such as applications in health care, defense, fitness and consumer technology.
The standard was developed by the IPC E-Textiles Wearables Standard Task Group, led by Vladan Koncar of ENSAIT GEMTEX Lab at the University of Lille and Sigrid Rotzler of Fraunhofer-Institut fur Zuverlassigkeit und Mikrointegration. The group included international experts from the textile and electronics industries.
“As the first standard of this kind, IPC-8981 provides a solid basis for e-textile developers to make their products more reliable, set quality targets and choose relevant testing methods,” Rotzler says.
“Our IPC-8981 standard and the associated test methods are essential: They help companies from both the textile and electronics sectors collaborate more effectively to develop high-quality products that are ready for market adoption,” says Koncar.
IPC-8981 is supported by 14 newly published IPC-TM-650 test methods covering environmental and mechanical durability factors such as abrasion, perspiration, UV exposure and washing. It also offers guidance on part classification, testing thresholds and how to reduce unnecessary testing steps to streamline development.
To purchase IPC-8981, visit the IPC Store. To learn more or join the IPC E-Textiles Wearables Standard Task Group and guide future enhancements to the standard, visit IPC’s committee page.
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