In the May 24 issue of Electronic News, an article titled "IPC Drawing
Lead-Free Roadmap":
" 'As Europe decides whether to adopt a resolution to eliminate lead in
electronics assemblies by 2004, IPC - Association Connecting Electronics
Industries is taking a lead role in encouraging the development of lead-free
electronics assemblies by creating a roadmap to create useful alternatives,'
the trade association said."
And this:
"Resistance to the creation of a lead-free electronics assembly roadmap is
minimal according to (Dave) Bergman."
> ----------
> From: Stephen R. Gregory[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Reply To: TechNet E-Mail Forum.;[log in to unmask]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 1999 12:58 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [TN] Lead free road map for U.S.?
>
> In a message dated 5/25/99 8:22:18 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> << Sorry but if our Electronic Times is telling the truth the IPC is
> intending to encourage lead free products in the U.S. along with Europe.
> It appears the requests for the IPC to oppose the European legislation
> have brought the whole thing about.
> Looks like we might all be ending up with the lead problem. I wonder
> what the new definition for solder will be in a few years time.
> --
> Roger M Unwin
> P+M Services (R) Ltd. Tel: 01706 815212 Fax: 01706 818636
> Http://www.p-m-services.demon.co.uk >>
>
> Hi Roger!
>
> You've started-up once again one of my favorite (?) topics. But I don't
> think
> what you've read is quite correct...that is unless things have change
> drastically in the last few weeks. While not attempting to speak directly
> for
> the IPC, I do have the May 1999 copy of the magazine "IPC Review" and it
> contains a very good article about the push for Lead-free, and the forum
> that
> was held at the IPC Printed Circuits Expo '99; "Getting the Lead Out of
> Electronics: Is it Feasible, or Even Warranted?" The subtitle of the
> article
> is; "Tension over lead is building again. But is the cure more painful
> than
> the disease?" Doesn't sound something one would publish if they're ready
> to
> roll over and push for lead free does it?
>
> A few salient points from the article:
>
> "Even before the forum began, a straw poll of about 100 PWB executives
> meeting in another corner of the Expo indicated that 70 to 80 percent of
> the
> boards they build are produced with hot air solder leveling. Lead based
> solders have been the one constant in assembly for decades. And how many
> components have no-lead leads?"
>
> "The forum itself was a potpourri of data. A four year, $10 million study
> funded by several major US OEMs and the National Institute of Standards
> and
> Technology and conducted under the auspices of the National Center for
> Manufacturing Sciences found that, among 79 alloys researched, only three
> were suitable as lead alternatives, and none were drop-in replacements."
>
> "In research begun as part of a U.K consortium in 1992, 200 solder alloys
> were evaluated, with seven ultimately selected for trials, and two -
> tin/copper and tin/silver - settled on for detailed analysis on
> performance,
> cost and availability. These alloys were tested with various component and
>
> PWB finishes. Consortium members Nortel Networks and Cemco explained that
> temperatures of tin/copper HASL are uniformly higher than tin/lead; for
> example, air knife and bath temperatures of the former are 280° C. And
> pull
> strength tests showed tin/copper to be slightly weaker than tin/lead,
> although it did do better in multiple pass reflow and high humidity aging
> tests run with gold over nickel finishes."
>
> And the final point of the article that I like:
>
> "With the scientific merits at best ambiguous, the price of a lead-free
> electronics world is high."
>
>
> -Steve Gregory-
>
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