NORTHBROOK, Ill. - The U.S. electronics assembly industry has established a target date of April 2000 for alloy suppliers to provide a short list of lead-free alternatives. This date was set at IPCWorks `99 in October, where the industry met to discuss the feasibility of solely using lead-free materials for PCB assemblies.
Select industry groups have already proposed specific lead-free alloys for industry-wide adoption. The U.K.-based Printed Circuit Interconnection Federation and the International Tin Research Institute are promoting the tin/silver/copper family, while a breakout session at IPCWorks proposed using tin/silver/bismuth. However, there are concerns over the compatibility of bismuth with lead PCB finishes and over a potential future ban on silver.
After an alloy is agreed on, OEMs will approach component and PCB suppliers to develop finishes that work with the alloys, said IPC project manager, Chris Jorgensen.
The April target date was established to coincide with two major IPC conferences: the IPC Printed Circuits Expo 2000 and the IPC SMEMA Council Electronics Assembly Process Exhibition and Conference, APEX.
