Product category:
Electronics Manufacturing Materials and Consumables
News Release from: Sabic Innovative Plastics | Subject: LNP Starflam UF-1006 HW Z270
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 19 October 2006
Speciality compound withstands lead-free
reflow
When Winchester Electronics began developing a complete line of RoHS-compliant products it found the plastics it had traditionally used could not handle lead-free reflow.
Lead and other heavy metals have been shown to accumulate in the environment The European Union's (EU) Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive limits the use of these materials in electrical/electronic (E/E) components and products
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 8 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The RoHS regulations have led to industry adoption of a soldering process that meets lead-free requirements for surface mounting of connectors onto printed circuit boards.
As a result, Winchester Electronics, a manufacturer of high-speed, high-bandwidth interconnect solutions, began developing a complete line of RoHS-compliant products.
But the company found the polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) resin, which it was using could not withstand the higher temperatures generated by infra-red (IR) reflow ovens used in lead-free soldering.
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Not only did Winchester need a plastic that could take the heat, but the material had to comply with regulations mandating the elimination of halogens from flame retardants, plus provide an array of key properties.
Equally important, to avoid the high cost and long lead times for development and testing of new tooling, Winchester sought a material compatible with its existing moulds.
To achieve this seemingly impossible goal, the company consulted GE Plastics.
Winchester Electronics designs and manufactures a wide variety of electronic connectors used by OEMs and contract manufacturers in the computer, military/aerospace, industrial, and medical equipment industries.
The company manufactures many of its products in China and Malaysia; these connectors are sold to multinational companies whose products are distributed worldwide and must comply with global standards.
Anticipating implementation of the EU's RoHS standard in July 2006, Winchester began developing a full line of compliant products.
However, to accommodate the higher temperatures of the new soldering process to meet lead-free requirements for surface-mount technology, which has been widely adopted for its improved speed, cost-effectiveness, and RoHS compliance, Winchester was forced to find a replacement for the PBT resin that it had been using for moulding connectors.
"We needed a material capable of withstanding temperatures in excess of 260C while maintaining mechanical integrity during the IR reflow process and in everyday operational use", explained Steven Fournier, Director of Engineering for Winchester.
Other requirements for the new plastic included: flame retardance without the use of halogenated additives to comply with the RoHS and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directives, and excellent mechanical properties including tensile strength and impact resistance.
Winchester had one other major challenge: avoiding the high cost and extensive time to develop and qualify new tools.
Understandably, the company wanted a plastic that could meet all of its environmental and performance requirements while seamlessly replacing PBT in existing moulds.
As the date of implementation for RoHS and WEEE regulations approached, GE Plastics had not been idle.
Foreseeing the higher heat requirements of lead-free soldering for surface-mount technologies and their potential impact on E/E manufacturers, the company proactively developed new grades to meet the requirements of the European directives - and the demands of the new high-heat soldering process.
One of these materials is GE's LNP Starflam UF-1006 HW Z270 speciality compound, a high-temperature nylon with 30% glass-fibre reinforcement that is part of the LNP Starflam X-Gen product line.
The grade features a proprietary flame-retardant technology from GE to provide halogen-free performance with a UL94V0 rating.
LNP Starflam UF-1006 HW Z270 speciality compound has a minimum heat distortion temperature (HDT) of 260C, making it an excellent candidate for soldering that meets lead-free requirements.
Further, it is based on a hot-water-mouldable grade of polyphthalamide (PPA), avoiding the energy costs of using hot oil for processing.
Its low specific gravity compared with other materials can mean more parts per kilogram, yielding cost savings for customers.
And it has one more critical attribute.
"The beauty of this LNP Starflam grade is that GE engineered it specifically to have the same shrinkage as PBT resins commonly used by electronic component manufacturers like Winchester", said Jamie Tebay, Product Manager for GE Plastics.
"The steel moulds that Winchester uses for its connectors are designed for a particular level of shrinkage and would be very expensive to replace".
"By substituting GE's LNP Starflam speciality compound for PBT resin, the company did not have to retool".
Because Winchester manufactures many of its connectors in China, GE Plastics' extensive resources there were greatly appreciated.
Fournier noted: "We have worked extremely hard for the last few years developing our global supply chain in Asia of which GE played an important role".
"We were very pleased that GE's China office could provide local support to our mould shops, providing guidance in the same language".
"Also, GE has the expertise and facilities to fully support their products globally, which can be critical during new production runs and product transfers".
Substituting GE's LNP Starflam speciality compound for PBT resin enabled Winchester to save time, money and business.
Fournier said: "Retooling costs would have been as much as $2 million, and would have required up to a year to develop and qualify new moulds".
"Further, we would have been forced to pass on several design programs during the conversion period - with the potential for lost business".
Not only are the connectors moulded from GE's LNP Starflam speciality compound dimensionally identical to those moulded from PBT resin, the replacement material has also boosted performance.
"We have gained improved mechanical properties that have increased the robustness of our connector design, allowing greater durability of the parts in demanding environments", he said.
According to Fournier, GE's LNP Starflam speciality compound has become the standard for the company's RoHS moulding needs.
"We researched other materials but they could not provide the required mechanical properties over the thermal range".
"LNP Starflam compound delivers great structural performance at the required reflow temperature of 260C, as well as compliance with standards for nonhalogenated flame retardants".
Tebay added: "GE's ecomagination initiative was designed to address challenges like this one by creating innovative materials that meet stringent environmental mandates while helping customers adapt and succeed".
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