...China's version of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive will "vary greatly" to that of Europe, it has been claimed.... more...

...Latest publication includes new guidelines, revised recommendations and expanded discussion of key issues... more...

...1 January 2007 sees the European-wide WEEE Directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive) regulations enter into force. But research from international law firm Eversheds reveals that despite the rapidly approaching deadline, UK companies are far from embracing their obligation to re-cycle electronic waste.... more...

...The waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) Directive has finally come into force in the UK, with anticipated howls from businesses complaining about the cost and complexity of the new legislation.... more...

...From a political standpoint, I see RoHS as a logical consequence of widespread environmental abuse by business. People have attempted direct legal remedies and found that process to be too slow, costly and ineffective. Go ask people living next to chemical plants in Louisiana. Legislation is also a slow process, but it has a broader reach and a more lasting effect than a lawsuit.... more...

...Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) has entered into an agreement to license Amkor Technology Inc.'s lead free (Pb-free) electroplated wafer bumping technology. Terms of the license agreement were not disclosed.... more...

...A three-month survey has discovered that the majority of respondents in the US are in favour of a Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.... more...

...ROHSUSA, an industry-led effort to repeal the European ban on lead in electronics, is seeking signatories for an official exemption request for lead in solders now being considered by the European Union.... more...

...The results of a three-month poll conducted on leading electronics distributor Newark InOne's homepage at www.newark.com revealed that respondents overwhelmingly agreed that Congress should enact a Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) law, thereby creating a single compliance standard for all US states.... more...

...In 2006, the semiconductor supply chain saw a tipping point of sorts as environmental regulations began to take affect and the July deadline for the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive came and went - although certainly not quietly.... more...

...SEMI Regulatory Alert on "China RoHS" for producers in China or importers into China of semiconductor and flat panel display manufacturing equipment, components and materials.... more...

... There are a number of potential issues looming that can disrupt global supply chains, sourcing strategies, and the flow of working capital in 2007. (1) Tariff Code Changes (2) Reverse Logistics from Asia (3) Global environmental regulations (3) Security (4) Mandatory AES Filing.... more...

...A national Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) law should be enacted by Congress, according to respondents to a three-month online survey. According to the results released by electronics distributor NewarkInOne, of the 1,584 poll participants, 1,028 answered "yes," 478 answered "no," and 78 answered "unsure." The poll concluded in early December and the majority of the site visitors were engineers and component buyers.... more...

...After significant delays the UK government has published its WEEE regulations. They were laid before Parliament on 12th December and come into force January 2nd 2007.... more...

...Huntsman Corp has selected Underwriters Laboratories as its RoHS compliance partner.... more...

...Manufacturers need to develop strategies to cope with emerging environmental rules. They should keep an eye toward designing products for recycling, says a report from Gartner Inc. of Stamford, Conn. Twenty three countries worldwide have enacted take-back laws for electronics.... more...

...The COST 531 consortium has been successful in a bid for a follow-on project to tackle the challenge of finding an alternative to high-lead solders, currently exempted from the RoHS Directive.... more...

...Dr. Jennie Hwang will deliver comprehensive 9-Part Lead-free tutorials in Phoenix on January 16, 17, 18, 19, 2007. She will share her years Pb-free development knowledge and the real-world production know-how (based on more than 90,000,000 Pb-free PCBs produced in service) through these half-day tutorials - complete coverage from Preparation to Production to Rework to Reliability.... more...

...The iNEMI Tin Whisker User Group has published an updated version of its recommendations for whisker mitigation practices.... more...

...IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries has awarded certification to RiverSide Electronics, Ltd., a full service provider of electronic manufacturing services in Lewiston, Minn., under IPC’s Certification for Lead Free Electronics Assembly Process Capability Program.... more...

...The SMART Group, the trade association specialising in RoHS implementation from the standpoint of PCB specification and procurement, held a workshop in Oxfordshire last week where technical director Bob Willis asked what are the key requirements when specifying PCBs for lead-free compatibility and what specifications should be defined?... more...

...Strict policing of the WEEE directive is needed in the first two years to ensure it delivers on its environmental promise, argued Axion Recycling. The company's technical director, Keith Freegard, argued that hard evidence of treatment and actual tonnages recycled must be provided.... more...

...The U.K. government has published its rules surrounding the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations, which will come into force in July 2007. WEEE applies to any company that manufactures, imports or rebrands electrical goods in Europe. The government has confirmed that all companies must join an approved compliance scheme by March 15, 2007.... more...

...The UK electronics industry has undergone many changes in the last few years. The last 12 months have been no exception and one of the biggest factors for change has been the implementation of RoHS legislation.... more...

...UL launches two services designed for organizations seeking to demonstrate due diligence in compliance with the European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, effective July 1, 2006.... more...

...Electronic appliance makers exporting products to China will encounter increasing regulatory barriers beginning in next year, as the local government pushes for what is known as China RoHS. Modeled after the European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, which took effect in July, China's pending Management Measures on the Control of Pollution Caused by Electronic Information Products -commonly called China RoHS - calls out the same six hazardous substances, and limits their use to the same maximum-concentration values (MCVs).... more...

...U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and industry experts will discuss procedures and methods for dealing with lead-free compliance at the Military Technologies Conference and exhibition (MTC 2007) on 27 and 28 March 2007 in Boston. The two presentations will be part of the conference's opening session March 27.... more...

...Tin Whisker User Group has revised "Recommendations on Lead-Free Finishes for Components Used in High-Reliability Products." It is the consensus of eight large manufacturers of high-reliability electronics assemblies that pure tin electroplating presents a risk in high-reliability applications.... more...

...OEMs should understand that the packaging, thermal characteristics, and footprints of eutectic and lead-free components can be different, and these differences can be the basis for potentially costly manufacturing errors.... more...

...John Burke has done something so remarkable and so exciting that it deserves to be emblazoned across the world electronic industry skies, for all to see and all to participate, if they wish.... more...

...Official figures also show that the Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, which the European Union adopted on July 1, affected more than US$60 billion worth of electronic and electrical products exported from China.... more...

...This quarter's TFI Electronics Manufacturing Outsourcing and Supply Chain forum was held in beautiful Saulsalito, California, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. As always, attendance was strong and diverse with about 70 participants representing OEMs, CMs, component distributors, software providers, and investment analysts.... more...

...China's air conditioners industry continues to restructure. Currently, there are about 150 air conditioner manufacturers in the country, down from 200 in December 2004. Intense competition, rising raw material costs, the EU's RoHS directive and anti-dumping investigations are among the factors causing this shakeout.... more...

...Bob Willis, a UK-based consultant in lead-free soldering technology, has published results of 3 surveys carried out at industry events, aimed at measuring lead-free implementation status.... more...

...AeA have published new unofficial translations of two key standards for China RoHS. They have also published a translation of the Packaging Recycling mark standard and associated artwork.... more...

...SMART Group focused on the practical realities and consequences of RoHS implementation from the standpoint of PCB specification and procurement at a workshop seminar held at Thame, in Oxfordshire UK, on 6th December 2006.... more...

...As you may know my exemption request for the use of lead in solders in electronics has been accepted for public support / stakeholder discussion by the EU and can be found as item 15 on the EU public exemptions stakeholder discussion web site... more...

...The Commission has launched the 6th RoHS consultation round with a list of 23 new exemption requests.... more...

...The Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the European Commission are holding a conference in Beijing on December 4 and 5 to exchange views on restricting the use of hazardous substances in electronics and electrical products to avoid possible barriers to bilateral trade.... more...

...Myth Number Two. The new European Union (EU) standards for electronics Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction on Certain Hazardous Materials (RoHS) will soon become universal, phasing out hazardous material and requiring computers, cell phones and other gear to be recycled.... more...

...The EU Commission has opened discussions for its latest round of requests for exemptions to the RoHS Directive.... more...

...While the deadline to meet the European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) legislation has passed, the impact of the legislation is still being felt, according to the president of Newark InOne.... more...

...Pushback continues to cry for the elimination of RoHS legislation, saying, show us the science or drop the law. The website, Pushback, launched with the intention of challenging environment laws that aren’t based on hard science.... more...

...It has been claimed that exports of air conditioning units from China to the European Union (EU) have "dropped considerably" following the launch of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.... more...

...Ageus Solutions, a leader in end-to-end EU RoHS and WEEE, Japan Green and China RoHS compliance services, has created an integrated method for profiling, planning, budgeting, and executing the specific compliance requirements that companies will face in the future within the international marketplace.... more...

...It is not only the chemical manufacturers or importers that will be affected by the new European Environmental directive the REACH directive(Registration Evaluation Authorization of Chemicals). Electronics manufacturers that imports the chemicals from a country outside of EU also have to register its chemicals.... more...

...Huntsman announced it has selected Underwriters Laboratories (UL) as its RoHS compliance partner. Huntsman will apply for the UL RoHS Mark. UL created its restricted substances compliance program to help manufacturers demonstrate due diligence in complying with the EU’s RoHS Directive.... more...

...Isola Group s.a.r.l. commercially released an improved generation of IS415, a 200C Tg product with lead-free compatibility and strong signal integrity.... more...

...China's air conditioners industry continues to restructure. Currently, there are about 150 air conditioner manufacturers in the country, down from 200 in December 2004. Intense competition, rising raw material costs, the EU's RoHS directive and anti-dumping investigations are among the factors causing this shakeout.... more...

...New categories for waste electronics - including a separate one for fridges - will be included in the regulations to implement the WEEE Directive in the UK. The regulations are expected to be laid before Parliament on 12 December 2006, a date targeted by the Department of Trade and Industry. This would allow for a statutory three week period in Parliament with the regulations then going live on 2 January 2007, with the WEEE regime operating from 1 July next year.... more...

...The impact of environmental legislation and heightened awareness on the procurement world... more...

...Korea-based Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics (LGE) and Daewoo Electronics are planning to launch PDP (plasma display panel) TVs with lead-free panels in 2007 at soonest, according to the Korean-language Electronic Times, Seoul, citing industry sources as saying.... more...

...Electronic equipment and computer manufacturers were today warned to brace themselves for component shortages as governments worldwide prepare increasingly stringent green regulations.... more...

...An environmental consultancy group has set up a web-based system to oversee and organise the collection and recycling of electrical waste across Europe in line with the WEEE directive.... more...

...Global e-waste is increasing dramatically, with over 70% being discarded in China. Discussions were held during the EU-China RoHS Conference in Beijing, organised by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, at which experts said that most e-waste contains such harmful substance as lead, mercury, tin and cadmium and they can impose serious threats to the environment if they are disposed of properly.... more...

...High-reliability electronic assemblies are used in applications where failure could cause catastrophe. The potential consequences of an airbag not inflating during a road accident, or an aircraft’s navigational systems misbehaving, or a respirator in a hospital working intermittently means lives could be put at risk.... more...

...Manufacturers looking for help on RoHS compliance will want to tune in to the upcoming Assessing and Maintaining Compliance webinar. The free online seminar will take place Dec. 13, 4 p.m. EST.... more...

...Parts shortages expected as worldwide markets get ready for more legislation. Electronic equipment and computer manufacturers need to invest in research and development to align their products with future 'green' regulations, not just those in force today, according to Gartner, as more governments around the world impose regulations on substances that may harm the environment.... more...

...Think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says upcoming environmental legislation will do little to reduce electronic waste. 'Existing producers are very good at collection and recycling, but the responsibility has been so dissipated that it has not encouraged redesign, and it has not reduced total volume of waste,' said report author Julie Hill.... more...

...As a result of the global transition to lead-free electronics, majority of the electronic component manufacturers are now using pure tin and tin-rich lead-free alloys for terminal and lead finishes. A major drawback of lead-free tin based finishes is tin whisker formation.... more...

...Just when you thought it was safe to call your products RoHS-compliant, a similar-sounding environmental mandate is looming in China that could trip up those who don't stop to consider the differences in the two laws.... more...