IPC-A-640A

Acceptance Requirements
for Optical Fiber, Optical
Cable, and Hybrid Wiring
Harness Assemblies

Developed by the Fiber Optic Cable Acceptability Task Group (7-31m) of

the Product Assurance Committee (7-30) of IPC.

Supersedes: Users of this publication are encouraged to participate in the

IPC-A-640 - May 2017 development of future revisions.

Contact:

IPC

Tel 847 615.7100

Fax 847 615.7105
April 2022 IPC-A-640A

Table of Contents
1 GENERAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.18.1 Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.1 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.18.2 Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.2 Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.19 Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Protection . . . . . . . 8
1.3 Performance / Product Classification . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.20 Contamination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3.1 Performance / Product Classification - 1.21 Rework / Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.22 Statistical Process Control (SPC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4 Definition of Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.23 Supply Chain Traceability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.1 Requirement Format (N/A/D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.2 Requirements Flowdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1 IPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.5 Note(s) / Italicized Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 American Society of Mechanical Engineers
1.6 Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 (ASME) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.7 Existing or Previously Approved Designs . . . . . . . 3 2.3 ASTM International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.8 Line Drawings and Illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.4 EOS/ESD Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.9 Measurement Units and Applications . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.5 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
1.10 Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Terms . . . . . . . . . . 3 (IEEE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.10.1 Use of Lead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.6 International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) . 9
1.10.2 Periodic Table Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.7 Laser Institute of America (LIA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.11 Engineering Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.8 National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.12 Order of Precedence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.9 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) . . . . 9
1.12.1 Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.10 NCSL International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.12.2 Clause References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.11 Telecommunications Industry Association . . . . . . 9
1.13 Appendices A – C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.12 United States Department of Defense (DoD) . . . . . 9
1.14 Approval of Departures from Standards and
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.13 UL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.15 Personnel Proficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.14 Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.16 Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3 ASSEMBLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.16.1 Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.1 Handling – Optical Fiber / Optical Cable,
1.16.2 Humidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 General Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.16.3 Process Control & Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.1.1 Handling - Optical Fiber / Optical Cable –
Work-In-Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.16.4 Positive Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.2 Optical Fiber End Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.16.5 Personnel Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.2.1 Procedures – Optical Fiber Processing . . . . . . . . . 13
1.16.6 Field Assembly Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.3 Splicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.16.7 Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Control Plan . . . . . . 5
3.3.1 Fusion Splicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.17 Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.3.2 Mechanical Splicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.17.1 Chemicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
3.3.3 Chemical Splicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.17.2 Epoxies/Adhesives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.3.4 Environmental Seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.17.3 Toxic Products and Formulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.3.5 Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.17.4 Protection from Bare Fibers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.3.6 Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.17.5 Eye Safety – Energized Source Concern . . . . . . . . 6
3.3.7 Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.18 Tools and Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.4 Optical Fiber Cable Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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3.5 Optical Fiber Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 8 QUALITY ASSURANCE REQUIREMENTS –

GENERAL AND VISUAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.6 Cleanliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8.1 Product Class Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.7 Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8.2 Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.8 Post-assembly Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8.3 Responsibility for Inspections and Tests . . . . . . 23
3.9 Post-test Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8.4 Classification of Inspections and Tests . . . . . . . . 23
3.10 Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8.4.1 Parts, Materials and Process Controls . . . . . . . . . 23
3.10.1 Traceability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8.4.2 Process Verification Audit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.10.2 Test Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8.4.3 Acceptance and Qualification Testing . . . . . . . . . 24
4 INSTALLATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8.4.4 Workmanship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.1 General Installation Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
8.5 Visual Acceptance Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.1.1 Bundling (Fiber in the Wiring Harness) . . . . . . . . 16
9 QUALITY ASSURANCE REQUIREMENTS –
4.1.2 Conduits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
4.1.3 Bend Radii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
9.1 Link Loss Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
4.1.4 Axial Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
9.2 Test Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
4.1.5 Tensile Load . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9.2.1 Standard Test Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
4.1.6 Mating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9.2.2 Extended Test Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
4.1.7 Torquing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9.3 Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
4.1.8 Coefficient of Thermal Expansion
9.3.1 Laser Service Group Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
(CTE) Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9.3.2 Laser Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
4.2 Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9.3.3 Personnel Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
4.3 Protection and Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
9.4 Acceptance and Qualification Testing . . . . . . . . . 71
5 CLEANING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
9.4.1 Receiving and Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5.1 General Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
9.4.2 Acceptance Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5.1.1 Solvents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
9.4.3 Testing after Rework or Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5.1.2 Canned Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
9.4.4 Test Discrepancy/Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5.1.3 Compressed Air / Dry Nitrogen /
9.4.5 Qualification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Other Gas Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
9.5 Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
5.1.4 Wipes/Swabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
9.5.1 General Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
5.2 Drying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
9.5.2 Fiber and Cable Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
6 DOCUMENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
9.5.3 Optical Component Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
6.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
10 DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
6.2 Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6.3 Connector Orientation (Clocking) . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 11 TABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
6.4 Connector Pin-Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
6.5 Dimensioning and Tolerance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Appendix A Space / Military / HAZARDOUS
6.6 Documentation for Maintenance/Emergency Applications Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Appendix B Test Methods for the Initial Testing and
Qualification of Optical Fiber,
7 TAILORING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Optical Cable and Associated Devices . . . 103
Appendix C Verification and Validation Matrix . . . . . . 109

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Tables Figure 8-7 Cable Alignment/Bend Radius . . . . . . . . . . 30

Table 8-1 Allowable Conditions for Fiber Connectors 25 Figure 8-8 Fiber Alignment/Bend Radius . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Table 8-2 Allowable Conditions for Single-Mode Figure 8-9 Protection Cap (Dust Cap) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Transceivers (With Internal Fiber Stubs) . . . 26
Figure 8-10 Identification/Marker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Table 8-3 Lensed Device Acceptance Criteria . . . . . . . 26
Figure 8-11 Scuff Marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Table 11-1 Bend Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Figure 8-12 Pistoning (Fiber) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Table 11-2 Optical Fiber/Cable Length Measurement/
Figure 8-13 Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Tolerance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Figure 8-14 Shrinkage (Outer Jacket) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Table 11-3 Magnification Aids (Power = X) . . . . . . . . . 86
Figure 8-15 Multimode (Left) and Single-Mode
Table 11-4 Standard Test Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
(Right) Fiber Ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Table 11-5 Extended Test Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Figure 8-16 Edge Chips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Table 11-6 Optical Power (Absolute Power and
Figure 8-17 Hackle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Power Loss) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Figure 8-18 Scratches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Table 11-7 Typical Transmitter Specifications . . . . . . . 88
Figure 8-19 Crash (Shattered Fiber) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Table 11-8 Comparison of LED and LD Transmitter
Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Figure 8-20 Crack (Surface) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Table A1 Space / Military / Hazardous Application Figure 8-21 Crack, Surface (Side View) . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Figure 8-22 Crack (Subsurface) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Figures Figure 8-23 Necking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Figure 1-1 Optical Fiber Assemblies, Cables And . . . . . 1 Figure 8-24 Lip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Figure 1-2 International Laser Warning Label . . . . . . . . 6 Figure 8-25 Lip (Side View) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Figure 1-3 Example of a Laser Warning Label Figure 8-26 Spiral Cleave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Designed for Use in a Fiber Optic Figure 8-27 Breakdown / Roll-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Communications Systems (FOCS) . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 8-28 Breakdown / Roll-Off (Side View) . . . . . . . 39
Figure 3-1 Typical Fiber Optic Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 8-29 Concave Core . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Figure 5-1 Contamination (Oil and Debris) . . . . . . . . . 18
Figure 8-30 Convex Core . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Figure 5-2 Contamination (Before Cleaning) . . . . . . . . 19
Figure 8-31 Improper Strip Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Figure 5-3 Contamination (After Cleaning) . . . . . . . . . 19
Figure 8-32 Kinking (Fiber) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Figure 6-1a Connector Orientation (Clocking) and
Mating Face View (Inset) with Figure 8-33 Light Leakage (Fiber) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
D38999 Bulkhead Example Figure 8-34 Buffer Shrinkage (Fiber) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
(Arrow identifies key) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Figure 8-35 Connector/Fiber Configuration . . . . . . . . . . 42
Figure 6-1b Connector Orientation (Clocking),
Figure 8-36 End Face View (Multimode Fiber) . . . . . . . 43
Example - APC Connector
without Dust Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Figure 8-37 End Face, Magnified Image (200X) . . . . . . 44
Figure 6-1c Connector Orientation (Clocking), Figure 8-38 Scratches – Multiple Sizes, Cladding/
Example - LC Connector Core Zone (Large Scratch - Cladding Zone;
without Dust Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Small Scratches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Figure 6-1d Connector Orientation (Clocking), Figure 8-39 Scratch - Cladding and Core Zones . . . . . . . 45
Example - MPO Connector Figure 8-40 Scratches – Multiple Sizes,
without Dust Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Cladding/Core Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Figure 8-1 End Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Figure 8-41 Core Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Figure 8-2 End Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Figure 8-42 Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Figure 8-3 End Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Figure 8-43 Coarse Finish (Polish/Handling) . . . . . . . . . 48
Figure 8-4 Connector/Cable Configuration . . . . . . . . . . 29 Figure 8-44 Contamination Particles and Fibers
Figure 8-5 Connector/Optical Fiber Configuration . . . . 29 Located in Contact Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Figure 8-6 Axial Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

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Figure 8-45 Severe Chipping and Pitting in Figure 8-66 Surface Distortion (Fusion Splice) . . . . . . . 59
Cladding Zone, Extending Figure 8-67 Alcohol Residue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
into Core Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Figure 8-68 Angular Misalignment of Fibers
Figure 8-46 Particle Located in Core Zone . . . . . . . . . . . 49 (Fusion Splice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Figure 8-47 Multiple Particles Located In Figure 8-69 Boundary Layer/Diffraction Zone
Cladding Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 (Fusion Splice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Figure 8-48 Oil/Liquid Residue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Figure 8-70 Bubbles (Fusion Splice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Figure 8-49 Crash (Severe Cladding and Figure 8-71 Core Mismatch (Fusion Splice) . . . . . . . . . . 62
Core Damage) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Figure 8-72 Lateral Offset (Misalignment) of Fibers
Figure 8-50 Surface Cracks and Chips Extending into (Fusion Splice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Core Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Figure 8-73 Mechanical Splice (Assembled) . . . . . . . . . 63
Figure 8-51 Contamination / Voids / Cavities in the
Adhesive Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Figure 8-74 Bubbles in Index-Matching Gel
(Mechanical Splice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Figure 8-52 Multiple Particles Located
in Cladding Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Figure 8-75 Fiber End Face Separation
(Mechanical Splice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Figure 8-53 Multifiber Termination,
Fiber Contamination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Figure 8-76 Splice Closure/Protector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Figure 8-54 Adhesive Residue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Figure 8-77 Butterfly Splice Closure/Protector . . . . . . . . 64
Figure 8-55 Example of a Lensed and Figure 8-78 Heat Shrink Splice Closure/Protector
Fiber Stub Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 (Assembled Fusion Splice) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Figure 8-56 Lens End Face View (10X Magnification) . 54 Figure 8-79 Strength Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Figure 8-57 Fiber Stub End Face (10X Magnification) . 55 Figure 8-80 Strength Member (Protruding Fibers) . . . . . 65
Figure 8-58 Fiber Stub End Face (200X magnification) . 55 Figure 8-81 Strain-Relief Device (Boot) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Figure 8-59 Crack Across Viewing Area and Lens . . . . . 56 Figure 8-82 Missing Strain-Relief Boot . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Figure 8-60 Crash (Severe Surface Abrasion) . . . . . . . . . 56 Figure 8-83 Improperly Installed Strain-Relief Boot . . . 67
Figure 8-61 Crash (Severe Chipping) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Figure 8-84 Example of Undamaged Insulation Jacket . 67
Figure 8-62 Contamination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Figure 8-85 Acceptable Mechanical/
Thermal Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Figure 8-63 Scratch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Figure 8-86 Unacceptable Mechanical/
Figure 8-64 Chemical Splice (Assembled) . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Thermal Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Figure 8-65 Fusion Splice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

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April 2022 IPC-A-640A

Acceptance Requirements for Optical Fiber, Optical

Cable, and Hybrid Wiring Harness Assemblies

1 GENERAL

1.1 SCOPE This standard provides acceptance requirements and technical insight that have been removed from acceptance
standards for cable and wire harness assemblies incorporating optical fiber, optical cable and hybrid wiring technology. Reference
materials listed in this text are among those considered as required reading. The User is encouraged to obtain all relevant reference
materials, as this document cannot (nor can any single document) cover every material, process, environment, performance, or
safety aspect that affect a given design.

1.2 Purpose This standard is intended to provide information on

design and acceptance requirements for optical fiber, optical cable,
hybrid wiring harness assemblies and fiber optic communications
systems (FOCS) to the extent that they can be applied to the broad
spectrum of optical cable and wiring harness design.
Neither this document nor its Appendices provide detailed
procedures for the test, acceptance, commissioning and /or
maintenance of FOCS.
This document is intended for use by the design engineer,
manufacturing engineer, quality engineer or other individual(s)
responsible for tailoring specific requirements of this document to
the applicable performance class.
a. This document defines acceptability criteria and limits for
“New/Beginning of Life” hardware. It is not the intent of this
document to establish or define “In Service” acceptance criteria
to address performance or reliability issues caused by aging
or use. However, the acceptability criteria and limits that are
detailed in this document may be considered to be wide enough
to be applicable to the more common hardware degradation
conditions caused by aging/use. Use of these criteria for Figure 1-1 Optical Fiber Assemblies, Cables And
acceptance of “In Service” hardware conditions shall [D1D2D3] Wiring Harnesses Connector, Splice and Transmitter
be as agreed between User and Supplier (AABUS). Image credit: NASA

b. It is not the intent of this document to exclude any alternate

documents or processes that meet or exceed the baseline requirements established by this document. Use of alternate documents
or processes shall [D1D2D3] require review and prior approval of the User.
c. For purposes of this document:
1) The Designer is the design agent for the User.
2) The User is the individual, organization, company, contractually designated authority, or agency responsible for the
procurement or design of electrical/electronic/electromechanical (EEE) hardware, and having the authority to define the
class of product and any variation or restrictions to the requirements of this document (e.g., the originator/custodian of the
contract detailing these requirements). The User is considered the Design Authority.
3) The Supplier is considered the individual, organization or company which provides the Manufacturer (assembler)
components (e.g., electrical, electronic, electromechanical, mechanical, printed boards) and/or materials (e.g., solder, flux,
cleaning agents).
4) The Manufacturer is considered the entity that provides a service or product to the User.
Note: In some instances, the Manufacturer may also be considered the Supplier to the User.

1
IPC-A-640A April 2022

1.3 Performance / Product Classification This document recognizes that optical wiring harnesses and cable assemblies are subject
to classifications by intended end-item use. Three general end-product classes have been established to reflect differences in
producibility, complexity, functional performance requirements and verification (inspection / test) frequency.
a. It should be recognized that there may be requirement overlaps between performance / product classifications.
b. The User is responsible for defining the performance / product classification.
c. The contract shall [D1D2D3] specify the performance / product classification required, whether compliance to any of the
Appendices is required and indicate any exceptions to specific parameters where appropriate.
1.3.1 Performance / Product Classification – Definitions
CLASS 1 – General Electronic Products
Includes products suitable for applications where the major requirement is function of the completed assembly.
CLASS 2 – Dedicated Service Electronic Products
Includes products where continued performance and extended life is required and for which uninterrupted service is desired but not
critical. Typically, the end-use environment would not cause failures.
CLASS 3 – High-Performance/Harsh-Environment Electronic Products
Includes products for which continued high performance or performance-on-demand is critical, equipment downtime cannot be
tolerated, end-use environment may be uncommonly harsh and the equipment must function when required, such as life support
or other critical systems.
Space / Military / Hazardous Applications
Includes products from Class 3, with additional considerations for unique materials requirements (e.g., flammability, outgassing),
exposure to extreme operational conditions (e.g., vibration and thermal cycling, shock, gravitational-loading), and extreme
or sensitive operational environments (e.g., oil and gas exploration, petrochemical, food, pharmaceutical). Space / Military /
Hazardous Application deviations to IPC-A-640A requirements are defined and listed in Appendix A, “Space / Military / Hazardous
Applications Requirements.”

1.4 Definition of Requirements The imperative form of action verbs are used throughout this document to identify acceptance
requirements that may require compliance, depending upon the Performance Classification of the hardware.
a. SHALL / SHALL NOT – The words shall or shall not are used whenever a requirement is intended to express a provision
that is mandatory.
1) To assist the users of this standard (e.g., User, Manufacturer, Designer), the action verbs shall and shall not are displayed
in bolded text.
2) Deviation from a shall or shall not requirement for a particular Performance Class may be considered if sufficient technical
rationale/objective evidence (OE) is supplied to the User to justify the exception.
b. SHOULD / SHOULD NOT – The words “should” or “should not” are used whenever a requirement is intended to express a
provision that is non-mandatory, and which reflects general industry practice and/or procedure. The words “should” or “should
not” are displayed in unbolded text.
1.4.1 Requirement Format (N/A/D)
To assist the User, each requirement is identified by its Performance Classification (x1x2x3) and applicability, where “x” represents:
N = No requirement has been established for this Class
A = Acceptable
D = Defect
Examples:
• [N1N2D3] is Requirement Not Established Class 1 or 2, Defect Class 3
• [N1D2D3] is Requirement Not Established Class 1, Defect Classes 2 and 3
• [N1A2D3] is Requirement Not Established Class 1, Acceptable Class 2, Defect Class 3
• [A1A2D3] is Acceptable Classes 1 and 2, Defect Class 3
• [D1D2D3] is Defect for all Classes.
• A defect for a Class 1 product means that the characteristic is also a defect for Class 2 product and Class 3 product.
• A defect for a Class 2 product means that the characteristic is also a defect for a Class 3 product but may not be a defect for
a Class 1 product where less demanding criteria may apply.