Question: Why did the IPC make the gold removal requirement for Class 2 products a requirement (D2D3) when in Rev E of J-STD-001 it was a process indicator (P2D3)? Connectors and surface mount oscillators are only available in Gold over Nickel terminations and are difficult to tin and re-package.
Answer: The reasoning for the change was due to the failures happening in the field with these types of components. The members in attendance were responding to a request from a user who had evidence to show that this was occurring and was a problem, so the committee voted to change the criteria from a Process Indicator to a Defect Condition.