The IPC-9202A, Material and Process Characterization/Qualification Test Protocol that records changes in Surface Insulation Resistance (SIR) on a representative sample of a printed circuit assembly (PCA). It quantifies any deleterious effects that might arise from solder flux or other process residues left on external surfaces after soldering, which can cause unwanted electro-chemical reactions that grossly affect reliability.

It uses test vehicles that are intended to be representative of the electronic circuits that are in production. It is a test, yielding both quantitative and qualitative data.

The IPC-9202A test may be used for Process Qualification, demonstrating that a proposed manufacturing process or process change can produce hardware with acceptable end-item performance related to electrochemical risk. Changes may involve any assembly process step, or a change in the printed board supplier, solder mask or metallization, soldering material supplier, conformal coating, etc. The test vehicle construction will vary depending upon the type of change being evaluated.