Smarties and Techies,
Is this fellow (below) correct that any solder containing silver is not
Bellcore compliant? What about the silver loaded Pb/Sn solder paste that
many, many of us use.
Are we asking for trouble if our products are expected to be in service for
many years?
Nigel Burtt
Production Engineering Manager
Dolby - European HQ
Email: [log in to unmask]
Tel: +44 (0)1793 842132
Fax:+44 (0)1793 842101
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-----Original Message-----
From: Mel Pedersen [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, August 09, 1999 6:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Lead Free Solders
This is a spin-off of the "legal issues" string.
Regarding the legal environmental issues and lead free solder - being a good
hearted bambi loving company we did some investigation into this. The only
suitable lead free solders we found contained silver, which, under the right
conditions, migrates. Migration of silver on a circuit board would, of
course, cause short circuits. Also, Solder containing silver is not
compliant with Bellcore criteria (TR-NWT-000078, 3.2.4). I even spoke with
Bellcore on this issue, and they are very reluctant to approve the use of
solder containing silver unless it can be shown that migration is not an
issue. This would need to be demonstrated on a case by case basis. I got
the impression that this would not be easy to do.
One of the manufacturers we investigated even claimed thier silver
containing solder was Bellcore compliant. They were not apparantly aware of
silver migration or the Bellcore criteria with regard to this.
Apparantly, there are a number of cases of this occurring in the past.
If the lifetime of the equipment is intended to be short (Silver migration
takes time), then this is not an issue...but Telecommunications equipment
(at the CO), is intended to have a long lifetime.
Any comments? It seems to me that this is one issue where the Greenpeace
types and industry will have a hard time seeing eye to eye. Maybe we should
just all live in caves again....instead of surfing the net we could paint on
rocks....
What are your experiences?
Mel Pedersen Midcom, Inc.
Homologations Engineer Phone: (605) 882-8535
mailto:[log in to unmask] Fax: (605) 882-8633
-----Original Message-----
From: Lacey,Scott [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 1999 10:12 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: new legal issues
Prop 65 sounds like another case of the "technically illiterate" creating
convoluted laws which burden the productive sector and create more work for
the bureaucrats. The entire electronics industry is tooled up for lead-tin
solders. I doubt that the California market is large enough to justify the
use of lead-free substitutes, and many manufacturers may simply decide not
to expose themselves to potential future liability - the example of the
State-financed tobacco megasuits looms large in corporate offices today.
Massachusetts recently enacted a new victim disarmament law which goes so
far as to regulate the technical aspects of firearm construction, including
melting points of alloys and stringent drop test requirements. Many
manufacturers have simply refused to ship certain firearms into the state,
including current models of the M1911, which the U.S. military found safe
and reliable enough to issue in World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam. If
individual states continue in this vein, either Congress will have to step
in and deal with liability issues, or many of us will find ourselves living
in landlocked islands where some technology is simply unobtainable. I
shudder to think what the legal eagles (or is it vultures?) could find
objectionable in the typical laser printer. "LASERS! High Voltage! These
things are too dangerous to be sold to consumers!"
As to the Lemelson patents, and barcodes, I can't help but wonder if he was
a Patent Attorney by trade? The group is claiming that he invented barcodes,
cordless phones, cassette players, camcorders, etc. Some years back one of
the automotive magazines published an interesting story about a Patent
Attorney named Selden who patented the automobile. He had every auto
manufacturer in the country paying him royalties, until one by the name of
Henry Ford decided to fight. In the final stages of the court battle
plaintiff Selden, who had never built any autos, was challenged to actually
build a working vehicle according to his patents. The finished vehicle was
brought to a track where it was to race a production Ford in front of the
judge. The Selden "auto" never got to race, due to numerous design defects.
The patents were invalidated, and the auto industry thrived. Will history
repeat itself?
Scott Lacey
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