http://www.designnews.com/blog/Lead_Free_Zone_Blog/21260-Lasky_looks_at_RoHS_3_years_later.php
Lasky looks at RoHS 3 years later
August 18, 2009
"Dr. Ron Lasky put out a blog indicating that the transition to RoHS-compliant electronic components has been a success. In his blog, “RoHS 3 Years Later http://www.indium.com/blogs/Dr-Lasky-Blog/RoHS-3-Years-Later/20090726,12,3433/ ,” Lasky — who has spent 10 years following the lead-free movement — notes that more than $1 trillion dollars worth of RoHS compliant electronics have been manufactured “without significant incident.” He notes that the $1 trillion figure is derived by the total parts produced since the July 1, 2006 RoHS deadline and includes parts that go into countries that don’t have RoHS laws. Since most component manufacturers did not run two lines of compliant and non-compliant parts, even parts going into areas without RoHS laws were RoHS compliant.He explains that part of the success of the RoHS conversion was the lack of hard monitoring by the European Union. The relaxed compliance atmosphere allowed the industry to make a smooth transition without interruptions in supply of electronic parts and finished goods."
"Lasky also notes the unintended benefit of the RoHS conversion. “In third-world countries, electronics are recycled for usable electrical components and scrap metal,” says Lasky. “Almost all of this recycling is performed unsafely. With RoHS-compliant products, this unsafe recycling will be done more safely.”"
Posted by Rob Spiegel http://www.designnews.com/blog/profile/8931-Rob_Spiegel.php on August 18, 2009 |
How would Lasky know this to be true? Where's the data? Dr. Henning Leidecker at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21151552/wid/11915829/ has advised me that there are failures. NASA is sworn to disclose them or they would not be told about them. Catch 22. Why? Lawsuits, that's why!
Has anyone died due to failures in Medtronic pacemakers (which were subject to an FDA recall due to tin whisker shorts)? http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/Inspections/InspectionGuides/InspectionTechnicalGuides/ucm072921.htm FDA does not say in this report. There is nothing in the open literature that I've been able to find. That leads me to conclude that the cases were settled out of court and the records sealed. Does anyone here know otherwise?
According to this blog http://scadaperspective.com/pipermail/scada_scadaperspective.com/2008-June/000748.html there are failures (again, the company experiencing them is not mentioned):
"... according to the factory manager of one of the largest industrial automation and embedded computing companies in the world, it isn't fiction. What they've done is increase infant mortality testing, heightened quality requirements, gone six sigma, and they are still seeing a sharp rise in warranty claims due to solder issues."
Isn't 3 years too soon to tell? Three to five years is the expected time for whiskers to grow long enough to cause shorts. Lets not pop the champagne cork just yet.
Se also http://www.calce.umd.edu/tin-whiskers/TINWHISKERFAILURES.pdf
It is premature to suggest at this time that there have been no "significant incident” failures due to tin whiskers.
Unless the persons doing the analysis knows how to detect them (10% of them are visible to the naked eye, the rest require magnified inspection and special lighting, knows where to look for them (presuming they are not vaporized in the shorting incident), how would Lasky be so certain such incidents never happened?
Bob Landman, President
Life Senior Member, IEEE
IEEE Power & Energy/Reliability Societies
IEEE Standards Association
H&L Instruments, LLC
www.hlinstruments.com/
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