IPC stands for The Institute of Printed Circuits, which created and maintains a schema for material data exchange for the electronics industry. We call files pertaining to that schema "IPC files" and we import them to Makersite to be able to calculate compliance verdicts for electronic components.

When importing IPC files, the structure of the file is automatically understood by Makersite. During the import, the data contained in the file will be enriched with Supply Chain Data, LCA Data, Cost Data, Compliance Data, and Health and Safety Information from Makersite and various other online sources.

Makersite will automatically map the substance composition declared in the IPC to the product. After the import, the data that has been added is available in Makersite for further analysis, typically related to compliance against various Regulatory Lists.

The only prerequisite is that your file conforms to the IPC schema. If your data set consists of multiple data structures (for example BOM and IPC), you typically would want to upload the BOM first so that Makersite can map the IPC data to your Product.

Once the file has completed uploading (you will get an e-mail notification), Makersite asks you to enter the Product Category for your product. Skip it for the time being and proceed directly to reviewing the imported dataset list. Further information on Product Category Rules for automating Life Cycle Assessments can be found here.

Makersite now indicates which of the imported datasets are mapped and which are not, unless all components were mapped out of the box. The unmapped datasets are shown in the list by default.

The toggle on the upper left corner allows you to see which of the imported datasets are mapped against which Makersite data. The automatically mapped datasets can be manually adjusted if required.

You need to select an Alternative from Makersite for the unmapped components, or compose this element yourself (See the Alternative vs Composition article for more information).

NOTE: BEFORE starting an import of your own IPC files it is advised to delete the IPC file imported during this tutorial. For details, please see the Find and/or Delete BOM Imports on My Drive article on the Makersite FAQ.

If you have imported an IPC previously, check the information below to understand what Makersite will do in specific re-import scenarios. In particular, please check what happens when there has been a change made on Makersite to the Process of the imported Product Group in between imports.

When you change the name of the previously imported IPC file, the new file is recognized as a source and gets assigned in the existing Product Group under Mysite Location.

If metadata in the source file has changed, Makersite will update the Product Datasheet for the Product Group accordingly.

If the material (FMD) data has changed in the source file, Makersite creates a new Product Group, also if the file name and metadata stayed the same.

If you made changes in Makersite on the main Process of the Product Group or any sub-processes before re-importing your source IPC file, Makersite "locks" the current state and protects it from being changed upon re-import. You can expect the following behaviour depending on the IPC contents:

Having imported and mapped the IPC file, you might want to check the Product Group for Exemptions and Regulatory Statements to see potential compliance issues and issue exemptions. You can also run the Compliance Status Report to get the compliance status for your product against one or more RSLs.

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