Folks,

I thought I posted this:

Since there has been much discussion about what it has been assumed that I said about lead-free solder,  it would seem to be reasonable to share my actual thoughts on the status of lead-free.  So here are some of them.
Lead-free is here.  It is not going away.  So let’s understand how it affects us.  I don’t have a problem with discussing lead-free’s short comings, but spending a great deal of time acting like it will be repealed if we complain enough is a waste of time.  Let’s discuss reliability, process challenges, concerns over silver and tin costs and supply, electrical use, etc.  But let the discussions be based on data and analysis, not emotions.

I agree that lead-free solder was and is not now needed to protect the environment or the citizens of the European Union.  It has never been demonstrated that lead containing solders are a threat in land-fills and it has been demonstrated that leaded solders can be safely recycled. In addition, establishing lead-free assembly cost upwards of $50B and continues to present challenges and require investment.

Although lead-free was not needed to protect consumers or the environment in the EU, since a large proportion of re-cycling is performed “illegally” in 3rd world countries, it is likely safer for the untrained and unregulated re-cylers of the 3rd world to recycle lead-free solders than leaded solders.

Reliability of lead-free assembled commercial type products has been demonstrated in the lab and in the field.  I am referring to 0 to 100C type thermal cycling and drop shock testing, with SAC alloys.  The experimental data of Henshall and Coyle presented last year at SMTAI support this.  Their work represents millions of dollars of testing by teams of major companies. Although RoHS is only 5 years old, Motorola has about 10 years of field data.  They claim equal or better reliability with lead-free.  Add this to the trillions of dollars of products manufactured since RoHS was enacted, with no major reliability problems and it would be hard to argue that commercial product reliability has not been demonstrated.

But, I agree, harsh environment, mission critical, long-life reliability of lead-free solder has not been demonstrated.

It would be hard to over state the benefit of lead-free solder’s poorer spreading enabling high performance mobile products.  There are now 5.6 billion mobile phone subscriptions in a world of 7 billion people.  No electronic product has made such a market penetration.  Lead-free solder has aided this feat in enabling tremendous function in a small size.

Ron

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