Alpha Assembly Solutions, a producer of electronic soldering and bonding materials, has recently reached a milestone of being able to produce solder products made from 100 % recycled tin. This achievement stems from their long-term commitment to work with leading OEMs, customers, and supply chain partners to delivery this capability.
“By using a combination of tin that is recycled in our internal facilities and by working with audited and approved 3rd party suppliers of recycled Sn, we have established a viable supply chain that enables the production of solder materials that use 100 % recycled tin,” said Steef Nuijens, Global Director of Metals, a part of the MacDermid Performance Solutions group of businesses. “This enables us to rely less on tin that is mined while still producing a solder product that, based on testing and validation, we believe is just as reliable as solder products originating from virgin tin.”
The company was an early adopter of introducing recycled tin into the supply chain, which is consistent with other initiatives that are prevalent in the electronics industry, such as the sourcing of conflict-free minerals. Through their efforts to manufacture products made from 100 % recycled tin, their actions help to lessen the need to mine for already strained natural resources while maintaining a focus on delivering innovation solutions and products to the electronics industry.
The company’s announcement comes on the heels of Earth Day and reinforces their corporate sustainability initiatives. In addition to sourcing 100 % recycled tin and conflict-free minerals, the company is also focused on RoHS/REACH compliance, providing recycling service programs, the development of low-temperature soldering and lead-free/halogen-free materials, and the design of other product and process technologies to enable greener electronics.
