Much has been written about the directives that will become effective: Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) – known in the industry as the lead-free directive – and Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), the corresponding reclaiming system for products. RoHS restricts the use of certain hazardous materials in electrical and electronic devices, namely lead, and measures will present the affected companies with substantial challenges and force them for adapting. “First they will have to decide which systems are best suited to which products,“ explains Thomas Ahrens of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology ISIT in Germany. “Then they will have to review the solder-heat resistance of all components on a product-specific basis, because lead-free processes generally work with higher temperatures. To put it plainly, many components will be damaged by the higher temperatures“. This ultimately alters long-term product performance, making requalification necessary. Opportunities for cost reduction should be identified and analyzed as soon as possible, and staff will need to be trained.
At the competence center which just recently opened in Itzehoe north of Hamburg, interested companies can train their workforce for lead-free manufacturing processes. The equipment available in the training encompasses all relevant technology steps such as application of solder paste and bonding agent, SMD mounting, wave and reflow soldering in convection and vapor phases, and selective soldering using miniwaves and lasers. Board assemblies ranging in width from 3 to 30 cm can be manufactured on this line. “Our services are geared towards contract manufacturers,“ underlines Dr. Ahrens, who initiated the competence center. “These companies in particular need help in their decision-making before investing in new equipment“. Assemblers that manufacture their own products, on the other hand, often lack the capability to operate a lead-free line simultaneously with one that uses lead. The competence center will remain relevant for the industry even after the lead-free introduction, since there will still be a need for training and quality assessment after the switch. Companies will have further optimized the technology with respect to process tolerances, quality and reliability, and cost-reduction measures. (gbw)
