About only 12 months are left until the July 2006 EU RoHS directive deadline for full implementation of lead-free soldering in electronics and electrical equipment. Elfnet, the EU-funded European lead-free soldering network has carried out a baseline survey and has reported from this implementation status survey that 30% of the concerned organizations are still not actively preparing for the change of the production paradigm. But the conclusions show that the degree of uncertainty is now small. After years of awareness-raising by industry bodies, large players in the manufacturing arena and an abundance of basic information, most are now clear about the essential action needed to implement the next step in this shift. However, despite the many offers of all kinds, there is still a high demand for more detailed information in key technical and business areas such as reliability, thermal compatibility and part labeling.
Only 15% of respondents currently use 50% or more lead-free solder – a figure that is expected to rise dramatically during the next year. It is expected that Japanese production will be close to 100% use by the end of 2005. Almost half indicated a belief that lead-bearing technology will co-exist with lead-free production based on exemptions, export and repair needs. The freely accessible report also contains information about preferred materials and processes being selected by manufacturers. While a majority continues to prefer the SnAgCu (SAC) alloy for reflow and hand soldering, the SnCuNi alloy appears to be competing strongly for wave soldering. There is a greater diversity in choice of lead-free surface-finish materials, with the trend towards NiAu or pure tin remaining. 62% were still undecided on preferred materials for BGA solder balls. Elfnet is committed to continue to work during 2005 to encourage collaborative progress by the key players from both industry and research. It is currently deploying a set of working groups to put in place realistic solutions based on a list of priority implementation issues identified by Europeans experts. (gbw)
EPP EUROPE 401
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