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RoHS-compliance Workshop Answers Assembly Questions
April 13, 2006 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
By Gail Flower, Editor in Chief
HANOVER, N.H. Ron Lasky, Ph.D., PE, senior technologist at Indium Corp., and visiting professor at Dartmouth College, presented a "Rapid Implementation of RoHS Compliant Assembly" workshop for area OEMs, EMS providers, and suppliers. Indium Corporation of America and the Cook Engineering Design Center, Dartmouth College sponsored the workshop.
Some of the latest information on lead-free gleaned from this day-long workshop includes:
Nitrogen atmosphere helps in wave soldering with leaded solder paste, but it is not helpful when using the lead-free SAC305 alloy. Nickel coating arrests tin whisker formation on component leads. The EU comprises on only 20% of the electronics market; whereas Asia experienced the highest growth rate from 27% in 2003 to 34% of electronics assembly in 2008, as predicted by industry experts. For WEEE, you must register your product in each of the 30 EU countries, often in each country's own language. Stencil printers probably will not be exempt from RoHS Directives. Stencil defects still account for 60% to 70% of all SMT assembly defects. SAC solder is corrosive to stainless steel, which is why titanium, nitride-coated, or titanium and gray cast-iron pots are used for wave soldering. Dross floats and intermetallics sink in lead-free solder pots. Intermetallics may cause needles in solder joints formed from lead-free alloys. A small amount of antimony will remove tin pest in applications situated in cold-temperature areas. In a 1999 study of lead-free assemblies, Motorola found that lead-free soldering gave equal or better reliability than leaded solder because it allowed finer spacing between pads with fewer bridging. Motorola has been producing lead-free products since September 2001, and now has shipped more than 120 million lead-free cell phones. If a company begins a program for RoHS compliance now and expects to be compliant before the July 1, 2006, deadline, it may need the expertise of consultants.Although WEEE and RoHS were estimated to be the most disruptive event in the history of electronics manufacturing, they actually may offer a competitive advantage in some instances, and may open companies up to new markets especially in recycling. Lasky will host a one-day workshop, titled "A Plan for Rapid WEEE and RoHS Compliance," at the IPC's International Electronics Conference and Exhibition, April 25-27, 2006, in Malmo, Sweden. For more information, visit www.ipc.org.