Some people may say "what difference can I make to the environment by
recycling my aluminum, plastic, and glass?"  Surely the small amount of waste
my family generates couldn't make a difference.  Since everybody else is using
lead why shouldn't I?  You're right, assembly is going to wave solder using
lead.  Who knows how long it will be before that changes, if it ever does.  I
think getting the lead out of the circuit board shop is just a bonus, and I
think it can make a difference.
     I don't think getting rid of the lead is the main motivating factor for
most people switching to alternative coatings.  Perfectly flat surface mount
pads every time, maintaining two mil air gaps without ever worrying about a
short, giving the assembly shops a product with the planarity they'll never
see with HAL, and giving the assembly shops the best product possible is what
I think drives the Alternative Coatings.

Stephen M. Wentz

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