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News Release from: ERA Technology
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 14 August 2003
Little progress in move to lead-free
processes
The British electronics industry has its head in the sand over the impending ban on lead-based solders and components, according to a new report.
ERA Technology has just completed a survey of the UK electronics industry to find how ready it is to make the transition from tin/lead solders to lead-free solders, and to lead-free components The findings show that many manufacturers know little about the implications of the "Restriction of use of certain Hazardous Substances" (RoHS) Directive and know even less about the problems that can occur with lead-free soldering
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 22 Jan 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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The survey was supported by the ERA Foundation.
The background to the survey is the adoption by the European Union of the new directive that bans lead in a wide range of products from 1st July 2006.
Although the deadline may seem a long way off, there are currently no lead-free solders that are direct replacements for use in almost all existing products.
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All lead-free solders are different in their properties and the way they need to be used.
More than 150 small, medium and large size companies were questioned by ERA.
These were a broad cross-section of the country's electronics industry, which means the findings are truly representative.
The good news is that 87% of the sample at least knew about the RoHS directive, and half had contacted one supplier.
But half also admitted to having very little understanding of what the directive required of them.
A quarter of companies did not even know if their products were affected.
The really bad news is that only 9% had started trials of lead-free solders, and an insignificant 3% actually said they already had developed lead free products.
But even these companies could not be certain that all the components used did not contain lead.
Out of the 23 contract electronics manufacturers in the survey, only nine had even been asked about lead-free soldering by any of their customers.
Electronics manufacturers have a lot more to worry about than just the replacing the solders they use.
For a start there is a serious concern about the higher temperature lead-free soldering requires.
The higher temperatures are actually well above the point where many components are seriously damaged.
That means new ranges of components need to be developed, tested and then proved.
But that is not all.
Certain components actually contain lead, and these, too, will need to be replaced.
Although some lead-free components are available, many of those still use tin/lead terminations.
Some component manufacturers surveyed admitted that they would not have replaced all of their lead-containing components well in advance of the RoHS directive deadline of 1st July 2006.
The problem with this is that alternative components are needed well in advance of the deadline so they can be built into systems and be proven.
Another concern is how companies need to demonstrate compliance with the RoHS directive.
This is not mentioned in the directive and no standards exist.
Several companies said that this issue alone could be prohibitively expensive.
Many companies surveyed by ERA use subcontractors for their PCBs, and are relying on them to find solutions.
A few PCB manufacturers have carried out limited trials with lead-free solders, but most have not.
Some have even been told by solder suppliers that "drop-in" solder replacements are available.
This is simply not true and may give a false sense of security - both to them and their customers.
The overall message from the ERA survey is that changing to lead-free products is certainly possible but, except for relatively simple circuits, requires a great deal of work.
Which means starting work now to meet the deadline.
ERA is disseminating the results of the survey in a detailed report.
The report will be particularly valuable to companies just starting to investigate lead-free soldering.
It includes a detailed guide to the transition process.
This is based on the experiences of companies well advanced in their lead-free transition process, as well as ERA's own expertise.
It will help with planning what activities will be required and how long these might take.
It also points out potential problems that can occur and how these can be avoided.
The report is expected to be useful to legislative authorities as it highlights the difficulties companies are experiencing with interpretation of the RoHS directive.
A copy of the report can be bought from the ERA website.
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