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Pushing the Limits of Lead-Free Soldering
November 6, 2013 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Throughout the past 12 years, I’ve had first-hand experience in many countries of the challenges of implementing lead-free assembly. While I‘ve seen both failures and successes, I believe passionately that lead free is the right course for the industry and am personally committed to its universal implementation. While there is much to be done in the formulation of lead-free solder alloys, the challenge extends beyond the solders themselves to solder joint design, flux formulations, component design and materials, circuit board design and materials, component and board finishes, and process equipment. And the challenges go beyond the materials and equipment to those involved in the production of lead-free electronics--a need for education exists on the issues that arise from lead-free implementation and for standards that define best practice.
While it is not appropriate to make comparisons with assembly technologies based around tin-lead solder, it must be acknowledged that lead-free implementation has created a mood of uncertainty as we move out of the comfort zone of established know-how. That uncertainty is understandable as we consider how lead-free materials are going to behave as joints in semiconductor packages become smaller and conditions, in terms of current densities and temperatures, become more severe. By sharing my experience, I am able to provide more confidence that lead-free technologies can successfully deliver the productivity and reliability the industry requires.
While the conversion of the electronics manufacturing to lead-free technologies seems to be a forbidding challenge, we can be encouraged by the fact that much of what we have learned from our experience of lead-containing technologies in the past can provide a basis for dealing with the implementation of future lead-free technologies.Read the full article here.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2013 issue of SMT Magazine.