BANNOCKBURN, IL — A new IPC campaign seeks to educate US Congressmen on the role ITAR plays for the domestic PCB industry.

As part of the effort, IPC will unveil a white paper on the applicability of US defense trade controls to printed circuit boards.

In a press release, IPC said it aims to raise awareness and compliance with federal regulations on the export of PCBs designed for International Traffic in Arms Regulations-controlled equipment.

The trade group plans to brief federal legislators and other senior staff at the State Deparment.

“IPC’s educational campaign seeks to clarify the importance of applying  ITAR controls to printed boards given that each printed board is specifically designed for the larger defense item of which it is a part,” says IPC president and CEO John Mitchell. “We view this effort as a pivotal private sector-government partnership on an important policy issue that ultimately bolsters national security.”

Although not listed explicitly in the United States Munitions List (USML), the export of printed boards and their designs for military equipment is regulated by ITAR because PCBs are “specifically designed parts and components.” IPC wants to ensure that defense contractors and procurement staff clearly understand that each board contains important information about the military equipment for which it is designed.

At the core of the educational initiative is an IPC white paper, Applicability of U.S. Defense Trade Controls to Printed Boards. Authored by ITAR expert Peter Lichtenbaum, a partner at Covington & Burling and former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration, was commissioned to explain the ITAR obligations in plain language and with concrete examples.

Additional outreach events will be held in the coming months, IPC said.

On Aug. 22, IPC will provide an overview of key issues and changes in US export controls regulations at a joint meeting of IPC and the Chicagoland Circuit Board Association in Schaumburg, IL. In September, a Washington, DC, roundtable will be held for senior export control officials at leading defense OEMs. On Oct. 3, IPC will hold a full-day event compliance workshop in Irvine, CA.