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Lead-Free Zone Blog

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Hi, this is Design News contributing editor, Rob Spiegel. Welcome to my Lead-Free Zone blog. This is your opportunity (and mine) to discuss RoHS and other environmental issues. Green regulations have produced waves of industry confusion, and I do not expect things to clear up quickly. So use this blog to inform us of your opinions, to instruct us all on what you\'re doing about this initiative, or just to blow off some steam.

My Yahoo

Voids found in lead-free solder joints

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on June 26, 2009

According to an article in Electronics Weekly, a UK-based sister publication of Design News, a researcher at the UK’s University of Leicester has discovered detrimental voids in lead-free solder joints. The article quotes researcher Sergey Belyokov as noting that he “discovered a process which has not been described yet: the formation of crystallographically-faceted voids in the bul ...... Read More

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GreenSoft launches GreenData Manager – REACH workgroup

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on June 25, 2009

GreenSoft Technology Inc. of South Pasadena, Calif. has launched a workgroup edition of its GreenData Manager - REACH, a client-server application designed to manage and analyze green compliance data and documents. The workgroup edition was created to offer a complete compliance data management system for RoHS, REACH and REACH SVHC (substances of very high concern). The workgroup product was desi ...... Read More

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An argument for leaded solder in servers

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on June 22, 2009

Here’s a pretty good argument for leaded solder. In a blog on ServerWatch, technology writer, Drew Robb, argues the merits of using leaded solder. Much of the electronics industry agrees, but the reality is lead-free has become the forced norm for most electronic products. However, Robb’s article includes a fascinating video of tin, lead’s primary replacement, breaking down. ...... Read More

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REACH hits the EU this month

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on June 16, 2009

As of June 1, 2009, all European Union suppliers are required to comply with a raft of substance restrictions under the REACH regulation. According to an article in PCB007, the substance restrictions apply every time an article is supplied, including components, sub-assemblies and finished equipment. Enforcement action can be taken at any point in the supply chain. The substances restrictions als ...... Read More

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House considers RoHS-like bill

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on June 15, 2009

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a RoHS-like bill that would become part of the Toxic Substances Control Act. The Environmental Design of Electrical Equipment is more limited than RoHS, according to Gary Nevison of Farnell, a London-based components distributor. In a blog in Design News sister publication, Electronics Weekly, Nevison says the bill’s restrictions would go in ...... Read More

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Lasky: Lead-free is plenty reliable

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on May 7, 2009

  With more than two years into the lead-free conversion, it’s become clear lead-free components are reliable. According to Dr. Ronald Lasky, senior technologist with Indium and a professor at Dartmouth University says the surprise of RoHS is that reliability has not been an issue. In this video interview, Lasky discusses a wide range of environmental issues in the electronics industr ...... Read More

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Tin, silver, copper becomes standard for RoHS solder

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on May 4, 2009

According to an article by Mitch Holtzer of Cookson Electronics that appeared in SMT Online, tin/silver/copper (SAC) alloys have become the industry standard lead-free solders since RoHS went into effect. Holtzer notes that “technical and economic factors are reducing the silver content in SAC compositions, with disadvantages like slower wetting speeds, and advantages like minimized BGA vo ...... Read More

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How will RoHS changes affect medical equipment?

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on April 27, 2009

New RoHS changes will impact medical devices. Many of the exemptions that kept RoHS from restricting medical devices will be lifted. Fred Loneker, a senior manager with Environ International Corp. talks about the implications the RoHS revision draft will have on the medical electronic industry in this podcast produced by IPC. ...... Read More

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Engineers need to track RoHS changes

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on April 22, 2009

The European Commission is about to drop six exemptions from the RoHS directive. While a move of this order was expected, it still shows that design engineers need to be cognizant of changes in environmental regulations.  the components they chose yesterday may not be compliant today. A recent article in EDN, a sister website of Design News, covers the proposed RoHS changes, outlines expecte ...... Read More

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Six RoHS exemptions cut

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on April 1, 2009

In the latest round of RoHS changes, six exemptions will be retired from the directive’s list of 29 exemptions. In an article in EDN, a Design News sister site, Gary Nevison of Newark and Farnell explains which six exemptions will expire over the next two years. ...... Read More

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The impact of environmental regulations on electronics manufacturers

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on March 29, 2009

Here’s an in-depth paper that covers the Impact of Environmental Regulations on Electronic Manufacturers. Michael Kirschner, president of Design Chain Associates, a firm the helps companies comply with regulations, authored the paper for the December 2008 Conference on Resource Recycling. In the paper, Kirschner notes that “while (manufacturers) are able to comply with these regulat ...... Read More

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SaaS eco-software for REACH and RoHS

Rob Spiegel
Posted by Rob Spiegel on March 28, 2009

Green EcoSystems Group of Colorado Springs, Colo. has introduced Green -EcoSystems software-as-a-service designed to help manufacturing companies address requirements related to the REACH directive. The tool also supports RoHS compliance. According to the company, key features of Green-EcoSystems include: REACH substances of very high concern analytics REACH article management and REACH ...... Read More

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