Advanced Through-Hole Rework of Thermally Challenging Components/Assemblies: An Evolutionary Process, Part 1
August 7, 2013 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Abstract
Although the vast majority of electronic equipment has made the transition to lead-free without significant issue, some market segments still utilize tin-lead solder. The European Union’s RoHS legislation currently exempts server, storage array systems and network infrastructure equipment from the requirement to use lead-free solder (Exemption 7b). The reliability of network infrastructure equipment in finance, health care and national security applications is critical to the health and safety of consumers, countries and the global community and the long-term reliability of these end products using lead-free solder is not completely understood.
Figure 1: EU Lead Usage Roadmap, Exemption 7b2.
Figure 1 shows the projected phase out of servers, storage array systems and network infrastructure equipment for switching, signaling and transmission as well as network management for telecommunications over the next few years in the European Union.
In addition to government regulations, the conversion of high-end server and network applications to lead-free is also being hastened by the limited availability of tin-lead components. Although the exact conversion date is unclear, the requirement to ultimately convert these complex products to lead-free is absolutely clear.
The successful transition of low-end and mid-range server applications to lead-free has come largely through wave solder process optimization and the use of alternate lead-free alloys for mini-pot rework.Read the full article here.Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the July 2013 issue of SMT Magazine.