...According to Agile Software Corp. of San Jose, a product lifecycle management (PLM) firm that helps companies grapple with RoHS compliance, as many as 40 percent of the materials declarations presented by component suppliers contains errors. That could mean that companies that think they have compliant products may be in jeopardy of non-compliance as the RoHS deadline hits July 1.... more...

...A new criterion has entered the fray of design-for-compliance constraints placed on designers. Regional restrictions on hazardous materials in electronics products increase the need for a holistic set of criteria that can be accessed throughout the design process. This article looks at how the European Union’s (EU’s) RoHS Directive will affect the design process.... more...

...The European Commission has launched the early stages of the first major review of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. Although the UK has not adopted the Directive yet, the Commission is making an early start on the review planned for 2008. The Directive aims to reduce the environmental impact of waste electronics by making producers pay for collection and recycling schemes, but is unlikely to affect UK-based companies until 2007. Nevertheless, the Commission has now issued a request for information from Member States, local authorities, industry and NGOs concerning how the Directive might be improved.... more...

...With the European Union's (EU) Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive set to take effect on July 1, manufacturers that ship to Europe must ensure that their products are compliant with the legislation and don't exceed maximum concentration levels of six controlled substances. While most manufacturers are well on their way with assessing BOMs and collecting evidential documentation, many do not have robust data management capabilities in place.... more...

...In this article the EU (European Union) RoHS (restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment) exemptions will be updated. Emphasis is placed on the exemptions proposed by the electronic industry and the exemptions granted by the EU Commissioner.... more...

...The consumer electronics (CE) industry has gone greener, with two new "e-cycling" initiatives put forward on Wednesday. Dell, Inc., in collaboration with the National Recycling Coalition, unveiled an extension to its recycling program for Dell-branded products during a national teleconference call.... more...

...Though high street shoppers are unlikely to notice much difference - except, perhaps, a change in prices - the tiny electrical components in their new players will have been altered to comply with new European rules. But fears are growing that thousands of small electrical manufacturers and importers could be forced to halt business because of confusion over applying the European Commission directive behind the changes.... more...

...Electronics Manufacturing Initiative's (iNEMI's) High-reliability RoHS Task Force has published guidelines regarding assembly processes and reliability requirements for RoHS 5 and RoHS 6 sub-assembly modules related to high-reliability electronics.... more...

...The RoHS deadline will not be pushed back, and RoHS will come into force this weekend, said the U.K. government. . . .Stoddart had asked: "Whether, in the light of new evidence, they will make representations to the European Commission to repeal the hazardous waste directive, which bans the use of lead and five other metals [sic] in electronic products and comes into force on 1 July; and whether they will delay its implementation in the United Kingdom pending an examination of the effects on British industry, including any financial effects."... more...

...Resellers will be given the opportunity to voice their views on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive with a public consultation scheduled for later this year. . . . Richard Shrub, Department of Trade and Industry representative, said: "There has been an informal consultation. The public consultation will come out in the summer. This will run for three months, the responses gathered will be processed, then made public and we will proceed from there."... more...

...Product Watch, the obsolescence notification service from Farnell InOne, has been upgraded to help design engineers meet the demands of RoHS faster as it comes into force.... more...

...The INEMI High-Reliability RoHS Task Force has released a set of guidelines regarding assembly processes and reliability requirements for RoHS5 and RoHS6 subassembly modules... more...

...The US-based iNEMI High Reliability Task Force have released a Position Paper advising that RoHS-compliant sub-assemblies should be 'thoroughly qualified' before being used in mixed assembly with RoHS-exempt SnPb products for high-reliability applications.... more...

...JNJ Industries' new Lead Detector Kit instantly reveals the presence of lead - often existing as an invisible residue on work surfaces - enabling manufacturers to remediate these residues, and helping them to maintain a healthy, safe work environment as well as meet new RoHS/WEEE compliance guidelines.... more...

...Ray Prasad Consultancy Group is pleased to announce that Mr. Ray Prasad will be teaching a three day in-depth course on SMT & BGA Design and Manufacturing at BeamWorks in Beaverton, Oregon on July 24-26, 2006 (Monday - Wednesday).... more...

...This Saturday, a new law called RoHS looks set to kick-start a green computer revolution. Well, a small one. It should be a stride forward in terms of how computers are manufactured, as makers will no longer be able to stuff their machines full of the nasty chemicals that currently clutter many of our homes and offices.... more...

...The process window for lead-free soldering has shrunk because of the higher peak temperatures that need to be achieved, and the limitations on the maximum temperature that components can withstand. In addition, the lead-free process is said to be less forgiving compared to standard eutectic applications.... more...

...One of the most hotly debated RoHS topics of the moment, and arguably one of the most confusing, has to be the issue of exemptions and what is in or out of scope. Being exempt from the challenging environmental legislation may seem like a dream come true but get it wrong and you could be in trouble.... more...

...SGS United Kingdom recently took delivery of its latest weapon in the fight to provide a fast and effective RoHS screening service to its clients, a state of the art XRF handheld gun. Quoting Chris Wood, Sales Manager at SGS United Kingdom: 'This cost effective service allows us to take RoHS screening right into the warehouse and ensures potential hazards are identified before the client places the goods on the market.... more...

...THE RoHS and WEEE directives will soon be enforced. Is your company compliant with RoHS and WEEE? At this late date, can you even be compliant? RoHS and WEEE Specialists (International) Ltd always asks companies if they have taken reasonable steps to mitigate risks if they are not RoHS and WEEE compliant.... more...

...Apple is halting the sale of several products overseas to comply with a European Union directive that prohibits the sale of electronics which contain hazardous materials. While most of Apple's products comply with the directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (the RoHS directive), a number of items will be pulled for lack of compliance.... more...

...This paper will focus on the surface effects and flux removal abilities of a range of cleaning technologies. These visual appraisals will be contrasted with more quantifiable easurements from ionic contamination through ion chromatography across a broad range of lead free materials from the leading global suppliers. Specific process guidelines will be presented for these lead free materials across the spectrum of cleaning technologies: aqueous, semi-aqueous and vapor phase cleaning systems.... more...

...In a twist at the end of the run-up to the July 1 deadline for the European Union’s (EU) Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, a number of companies that provide product lifecycle management (PLM) tools have introduced new products to help companies manage the data necessary to prove compliance with RoHS. This apparently indicates that many manufacturers are simply not ready to stand up and show their compliance data if questioned by EU regulators. It also suggests that proving compliance will be an ongoing part of doing business for manufacturers in the electronics industry.... more...

...The purpose of the EU Commission’s directives -- Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste from Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) was to make the environment safer for the planet and its inhabitants, and in time it will. Meanwhile, it has left a very unsafe business environment for some companies.... more...

...Experts have warned that pan-European legislations on recycling and reducing hazardous materials in electrical products are failing before they begin. The UK is already being taken to the European court for non-implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, while the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive that comes into effect on July 1 will cause further problems.... more...

...The goals of big business and the federal government are not always in alignment, but national environmental laws that mirror two European Union directives-the Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)-are in the best interest of the U.S. electronics industry. A look at the current landscape reveals why.... more...

...RoHS takes effect on July 1, and as the deadline approaches other governments around the world are also busy crafting legislation to curb the use of hazardous substances in electronic equipment.... more...

...New analysis from Frost & Sullivan reveals that the worldwide SMT cleaning equipment market generated revenues of $34.3 million in 2005 and is likely to reach $55 million in 2012. "Lead-free manufacturing has caused process changes in the SMT line that have placed more emphasis on cleaning," notes F&S industry manager Keith Robinson. "With more residue left on the assembly during lead- free manufacturing, industries that did not historically clean are likely to do so between 2006 and 2010, thus creating new market opportunities."... more...

...Dear Commissioner, I am writing with regard to the exemption review process carried out and minuted at the December 2004 TAC committee meeting. It is my belief that the review process has effectively failed to fully address and provide due diligence, to the very reason for including Article 5(1)(b) in the legislation.... more...

...Partnership Kicks Off by Providing Manufacturers With New, Value-Added Enterprise Service for Rich Integrated Content... more...

...The were up to speed with WEEE and RoHS and were performing lead-free solder assembly. The facilities were clean and well organized, with rapid work flow. The company has 3 million square meters (30 million square feet) of floor space and 20,000 workers. The average assembly line worker makes $125US per month (up from $20 or so less than 10 years ago.)... more...

...Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling company environCom Ltd, has announced a new partnership with recycling market development leader London Remade, to provide a solution to the capital’s burgeoning e-waste.... more...

...The fast-approaching 2006 deadline for the removal of lead from the electronic manufacturing process has helped bring about the revival of the mature surface mount technology (SMT) equipment market. As 'green' manufacturing gains currency, notably in regions such as Eastern Europe and China, this market is likely to experience renewed growth in the future.... more...

...According to Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) of Northbrook, Ill., manufacturers can ensure their due diligence in meeting RoHS regulations by complying with the IECQ QC080000 certification standard produced by the International Electromechanical Commission (IEC).... more...

...The European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) substance restrictions only apply to products "put on the market" after the July 1, 2006 deadline, and anything put on the market before that date can legally continue to be sold. Therefore, when a product is considered validly "put on the market" is of key importance to manufacturers.... more...

...The date on which a product is "put on the market" according to the European Union's Restrictions of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) Directive (2002/95/EC) is now driving many electronics companies to make inventory or stockpiling decisions. However, few concepts surrounding RoHS have generated as much confusion and controversy as how "put on the market" will be interpreted by EU member states and their respective regulators.... more...

...A new online database of RoHS compliance documents has been launched by ACAL Technology and is described by the company as the industry's most comprehensive. Registration to the site is free and provides access to a searchable database of RoHS documentation on over 10,000 products including semiconductors, power supplies, boards and systems... more...

... Apple will stop selling Airport Base Stations, eMacs and iSight cameras in Europe after June 30, reports claim. According to reports, the company contacted channel partners this morning to confirm plans to withdraw these products. . . . Apple is not the only manufacturer to be affected by the new laws. Other electronic good makers are expected to make similar announcements and remove certain products from their range in the coming weeks.... more...

...The new PCB049 board and kit - developed by Practical Components in conjunction with Indium Corp - is billed as the ultimate resource for evaluating mixed-technology lead-free assembly.... more...

...The deadline for the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive is July 1, 2006, and Contemporary Controls’ Downers Grove, IL, plant has successfully met the challenge. George Thomas, President of Contemporary Controls, thanks his entire manufacturing and engineering staff for their efforts in making the necessary conversion to lead-free products.... more...

...Two new upgrades from OK International put its successful PS-800 Hand Soldering System at the forefront in lead-free hand soldering.... more...

...Some of the biggest organisations aiming to run compliance schemes for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) have joined forces to engage with the government as a single body.... more...

...Tin-lead (SnPb) has been a commonly used finish for years. The restriction of Pb has caused many component manufacturers to change to alternate alloys that do not contain Pb. Unfortunately, pure tin (Sn) coatings may grow tin whiskers, which could cause electrical shorts. Alloying tin with a second metal reduces the propensity for whisker growth. Bismuth (Bi) is considered to be an effective whisker suppressant.... more...

...The article "Deadline January 1, 2007: Are you ready for California RoHS?" generated a great deal of interest and positive feedback from our readers. We received some insightful questions especially from "business-to-business" companies that we thought worth sharing with all Green SupplyLine readers.... more...

...SB20 reduces exports of "bad" equipment, but creates shortages of good equipment. California's expensive CRT "cancellation" clause at issue with digital divide and re-use group WR3A.... more...

...Businesses believe that the introduction of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) legislation has been poorly managed according to preliminary results from a UK-wide survey among businesses affected by it.... more...

...In the third of his expert articles, Vic Clements from RFI Global looks at the "distance selling" loophole in the implementation of the WEEE and RoHS Directive... more...

...Assembly Bill 2202 just passed the California Assembly 42-38 proposing that California map the EU lead in solders ban in electronics 1 for 1 with the European legislation. Actually it would tie California to whatever happens with RoHS in Europe. The bill has been sent on to the Senate Environmental Committee the vote is due I believe next week.... more...

... SMT Magazine reports that two important standards under China’s Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive have now been completed and are awaiting approval by the China Ministry of Information Industry.... more...

...The deadline for RoHS compliance is July 1, but incredibly no enforcement guidelines have been issued by the European Union weeks before the law goes into effect. While the electronicsindustry has spent billions of dollars to comply with the European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, it is unclear how the law will be enforced. The European Commission (EC), which oversees the RoHS legislation, was supposed to release enforcement guidance for RoHS last year, but did not do so until late May.... more...

...The European directive restricting the use of lead and other substances in electronics is the beginning of a wave of global environmental laws. For the past two years, most electronics companies have been working diligently to comply with the July 1 deadline of the European Union's (EU) Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) law that prohibits the use of lead and five other substances in electronics equipment. The good news is most large OEMs and electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers say they are in compliance with the law and have the necessary documentation to prove it.... more...

...The RoHS directive has reached Australia and the Australian companies are getting ready to comply.... more...

...The European Commission’s attempts to plug the so-called "control system loophole" in the RoHS Directive are not likely to come into effect before 2008 and could be delayed until 2010. This potential loophole has caused confusion amongst some firms which are still unclear whether it puts their products outside of the legislation, which comes into force in just two weeks. It now seems likely that any change will not happen before 2008 at the earliest.... more...

...Harvey Miller doesn’t look like Boston’s revolutionary rabble-rouser Samuel Adams, but he’s certainly beginning to sound like him, and his voice is not alone. Revolution may be in the air, but this time the lead isn’t flying at Lexington Green, but rather in Berlin. Harvey writes, "Joe Fjelstad has just returned from the Jissa meeting in Berlin where just about all of the scientists and engineers were against the lead ban..."... more...

...The SGS RoHS Programme helps manufacturers, retailers and suppliers mitigate the risk of non-compliance to global and national restricted substances regulations, and allows use of the RoHS-Mark... more...

...The official Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment webpage of the European Commission has been updated with various items.... more...

...Only Joking!! - well sort of - read on.. This week the California Senate votes on Assembly Bill 2202 (AB2202) which if passed will bring onto the statute books a European law which the European national press is referring to as: Is this the craziest EU law of all?... more...

...For those products whose compliance status is yet to be confirmed, customers can use an upgraded version of the firm’s online 'Notify Me' service. RS Components has added a printable certificate of RoHS conformance to its website.... more...

...While electronics manufacturing services companies face complex challenges from looming environmental regulations in Europe, some industry watchers say the changes could be a positive for the industry over the long term.... more...

...In today's global business environment, manufacturers are becoming increasingly more cognizant of being environmentally safe or "green." To help these companies manage their manufacturing and product life cycle processes to produce environmentally-safe products, they are leaning towards the International Electrotechnical Commission's (IEC) certification, IECQ QC080000 standard.... more...

...The Department of Trade and Industry has suggested that the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations will be implemented from January 1 2007, with full implementation on July 1 next year, writes Adam Hooker.... more...

...After several years of work, the major US JCAA/JG-PP lead-free soldering project has made its test reports available to the public.... more...

...A substantial number of companies will not able to defend themselves, according to a recent Technology Forecasters study. The study revealed that the majority of midsize to large electronics companies are still working on their due-diligence defense, some are finished and a significant number have yet to adequately begin the task.... more...

...How will the electronics industry deal with the millions of dollars of inventory containing RoHS-banned substances once the Directive takes effect on July 1? One possible solution: convert the non-compliant components into compliant ones.... more...

...UMC has announced that it has completed audits associated with QC 080000 IECQ Hazardous Substance Process Management (HSPM) qualification to become the first semiconductor manufacturer to achieve HSPM certification, according to the company.... more...

...Trade association AMDEA has dismissed government claims that its members are trying to "dodge" responsibilities in their demands for a "visible fee" to cover some recycling costs for waste electronics.... more...

...An opponent of pending ban on lead in solders in Europe has launched a signature drive to request an exemption. John Burke, the principal behind RoHSUSA.com, a Website dedicated to stopping the RoHS movement, today set up a petition to the European committee responsible for the mandate, requesting an exemption for lead.... more...

...With requirements to comply with Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) rules taking effect soon, Samsung said its is providing access to documentation necessary for compliance, including declaration letters and material declaration sheets. (a little late now !?? )... more...

...Of course, time will tell which title is the most accurate encapsulation of events surrounding the move to lead-free (the RoHS Directive) and the consequences of the Directive on the electronics industry. I suspect that the correct article title will be somewhere in the middle, incorporating some of the pain along with some successes.... more...

...After reading the document that Kay refers to, it is clear that everyone is struggling with the definition of "put on the market" as Don's question would suggest. I think the safe approach is to use what I call the "Doctrine of Noble Intent."... more...

...NASA has decided to push forward with next month's scheduled launch of its Discovery space shuttle, even in light of an internal report that noted the presence of tin whiskers in some computer avionics boxes. . . ."Catastrophic impacts for tin whisker generated failures puts not only the Orbiter at risk, but also potentially the International Space Station and the crew for both vehicles."... more...

...With the 1 July 2006 RoHS compliance deadline rapidly approaching, BVCPS is providing advice and services to help ensure its customers demonstrate due diligence and conform to the new regulations... more...

...The RoHS-style environmental laws written in Europe, Korea, China or California are slightly different in each region, and the differences appear in critical areas such as exceptions, reporting and proof of compliance. The matrix of varying environmental compliance rules will get more complicated as new rules - such as the European Union’s (EU) REACH laws restricting additional chemicals - come into play.... more...

...There may be hot competition for the title of the craziest EU directive of them all, but a front runner must be one which comes into force at the end of this month. Designed to protect the environment and human health, this law is imposing costs of tens of billions of pounds on businesses, not only in Europe but across the world. It is based, it now turns out, on scientific studies so flawed that it will only cause further damage to both the environment and health.... more...

...In the push to restructure electronic assembly processes ahead of the July 1st "Lead Free" deadline, the use of dummy mechanical components may be a vital part of development. Dummy components - mechanically and metalurgically identical to their "real" counterparts - but a fraction of the cost - allow machine tests, soldering trials, rework assessment and establishment of new protocols and training regimes for the "post July One" lead free environment.... more...

...industry sources say there is a category of companies that despite comprehensive compliance efforts will have a product that just falls short of RoHS conformance. Eric Karofsky, senior analyst at AMR Research Inc., (Boston Mass.) said a lot of companies are well on their way to compliance but they aren't there yet due to a small gap in compliance.... more...

...As a result of this exemption, new definitions have evolved -- RoHS-5 compliance and RoHS-5 components, which reflect five of six restricted materials, i.e. that product meets the RoHS material-content requirements for all substances except lead (Pb). These terms are not defined in the RoHS or WEEE regulations.... more...

...Costs for the recycling of waste electronics faced by consumers purchasing new equipment are much lower than was feared, Hewlett Packard said this week.... more...

...Quiz time.............feeling lucky? There are Push back tee shirt and mug prizes - really! Question #1 Which trade association states that: "all available scientific evidence and US government reports indicate that the lead used in US printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing and electronic assembly produces no significant environmental or health hazards"... more...

...RS Components, which bills itself as "Europe's leading distributor of industrial maintenance repair products," is committed to helping its 700-plus suppliers and more than 1.5 million customers worldwide understand and achieve compliance with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.... more...

...I do not believe there will be any honeymoon period whatsoever. The EU has focused too much time, energy and cost on this event, and I do not think that they are going to be inclined to delay the July 1, 2006 deadline.... more...

...Despite a self-titled dissenting opinion from the Aerospace Corporation, the issue of Tin Whiskers won't get in the way of proceeding to launch with Shuttle Discovery on STS-121. Despite the wide-ranging - and at times strongly worded - document, NASA issued its own "rebuttal" rationale to fly "as-is" from seasoned data, in the belief there is little chance that the small slices of metal will fall off on to the circuit boards - which could cause shorts in the orbiter's electrical components, with the potential loss of vehicle and crew.... more...

...Basically, it's an attempt to clean up a business which is very damaging to the environment. Silican chip production is a toxic process, which they are trying to offset by removing other nasty chemicals and compounds from the manufacturing process.... more...

...Freescale Semiconductor reports that it is ahead of the curve in helping customers comply with the European RoHS Directive set to go into effect on 1st July.... more...

...The new solder alloy may be one of more than 100 possible alloy candidates that have been proposed and evaluated. None, unfortunately, are "drop in" alternatives. The most popular lead-free alloys melt at about 40 degrees Celsius higher than tin/lead solders.... more...

...Upgrades for OK International's PS-800 hand-soldering system optimise it for maximum lead-free performance.... more...

...Advanced functions, designed to further ease its customers' RoHS compliance efforts, have been added by specialist distributor RS Components to its electronic, electrical, electromechanical and industrial components website.... more...

...Tony Blair's government vaunts its greenness on some big environmental issues of our time, such as climate change. But when it comes to mundane matters of recycling, it often lags way behind. Remember "the fridge mountain", when the government backed a ban on ozone-depleting CFCs only to discover that the country did not have the right equipment to deal with discarded refrigerators?... more...

...Industry body REPIC (Recycling Electrical Producers’ Industry Consortium) has called on the U.K. government to support a national allocation center for the collection of WEEE, saying such an arrangement is "the only workable solution".... more...

...Korea recently issued RoHS-like environmental laws. To gain some understanding of the new regulations, we turned to Michael Kirschner, president of the San Francisco-based consulting company, Design Chain Associates, LLC... more...

...In the tiny trenches of your computer's processor, countless electrons race along at breakneck speed, hanging left and right turns through wires, diodes, and other doodads made partly of toxic metals. It's the kind of circuitry that industry has built for decades, without giving much thought to the environmental consequences from trace materials buried deep in electronic gizmos' guts.... more...

...Although the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) legislation comes into force in the European Union (EU) from July 1 (less than one month after Computex), the UK-based product quality management services company Intertek expects RoHS-related business will continue to ramp through the third quarter of 2006. It may then drop slightly and flatten for some time, Intertek says. Intertek's RoHS-related business is currently about three times larger than during the same period last year, according to the company.... more...

...In order to enable Taiwan-based vendors to meet the European Union's (EU's) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directives, TUV Rheinland Taiwan provides the latest testing standards to ensure compliance and help manufacturers in WEEE registration and RoHS testing.... more...

...A leading trade association for electronics manufacturers has effectively declared war on the government's implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.... more...

...This guest perspective explores the options available to board and device makers that are faced with premature chip obsolescence due to the EU's new Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) guidelines. The author contends that product manufacturers basically have two alternatives: buy a ton of the EOL (end-of-life) chips, and risk becoming "sitting ducks" knocked off by more agile competitors; or, use the opportunity to redesign and upgrade the impacted product, thereby rising "Phoenix-like" from the ashes of obsolescence.... more...

...DEK said it concluded research into screen printing for 0201 surface-mount technology components using SnPb and SAC solder pastes, featuring new assembly and board design parameters for high-volume assembly with minimal application-specific modifications. Among the observations from analyzing a large number of test assemblies post reflow, DEK found that SAC pastes have an inherently wider process window.... more...

...IPC announces an "International Conference on Lead Free Electronic Components and Assemblies, RoHS Compliance and Beyond" sponsored by IPC and JEDEC. It will take place August 16-17, 2006, in Montreal, Canada. The conference will focus on EU member state enforcement and supply chain issues, in addition to discussion on lead free technical implementation issues.... more...

...The LF-4300 from AMTECH Inc. is a RoHS-compliant, lead-free solder paste featuring multi-process capabilities for water-washable and no-clean applications. The paste can be used with lead-free, tin/lead, and high-temperature alloys up to 300 C, and can be removed during cleaning using standard aqueous cleaning systems without saponification.... more...

...Manufacturing firms have less than a month to prepare for new regulations governing the use of hazardous substances.... more...

...Soldering in nitrogen greatly improves joint quality when using lead-free solder by removing the possibility of oxidisation which can weaken joints and result in unreliable connections.... more...

...Demand for Environ's web systems for managing collection and recycling of business-to-business WEEE across Europe continues to grow.... more...

...Appropriate that this very term is being used to describe the condition of the RoHS lead in solders ban. No matter (or apparently any embarrassment) to those using the term, that in most cases they watched the train being built, even helped with some of the blueprints, laid the track, sold the workshop tickets and called it good.. And in some cases expected a medal or a gold watch for the effort.... more...

...First it was the lead pipes of organs under threat, and next it was Britain's lighting industry, which is worth nearly 1 billion pounds a year. I have been approached recently by a stream of MPs and MEPs, wanting to alert me to a catastrophe which faced thousands of firms that manufacture and sell every kind of lighting product.... more...

...Battery manufactures and recyclers yesterday called for an early implementation of the near-complete European Battery Directive, if they are to meet expected targets for recycling.... more...

...Before the July 1 deadline for the European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive takes effect, there is one final question that companies selling their electronics products into the EU must answer: How will you prove that your products comply with RoHS if their status is challenged?... more...

...Solderite, a leading provider of lead-free soldering solutions, introduces the Solderite 3500 Lead-free Soldering Station.... more...

...The July 1 deadline for compliance with the European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive is almost here. Established in response to the increasing amount of consumer electronics products ending up in landfills, RoHS is clearly beneficial for our environment. However, it is an expensive proposition for manufacturers, distributors and OEM customers alike.... more...

...TraceXpert key player in safe transition to lead-free process... more...

...The reason for enquiring about the TAC is that the TAC had exemption application requests on environmental grounds lodged with the EU back in 2004 from RM Sommer Consulting Ltd of New Zealand.... more...

...nnov-X Systems extends its X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology with the release of RoHS-Star software to assist compliance with European Union's Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directives... more...

...The RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) directive, due to come into force on 1 July, could force the price of security hardware to rocket in the coming months. One vendor, Watchguard, has confirmed that it is planning an across-the-board increase of around 10 percent on European shipments, triggered by the need to re-engineer its products to remove a range of toxic substances.... more...

...The European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive goes into effect next month and the law has been costly to the electronics supply chain, including distributors. Many distributors had to re-design systems to improve the quality of data and to accommodate the new RoHS part numbers. They had had to make changes to their warehouses and work more closely with customers on RoHS issues.... more...

...Symphony Consulting, a strategic supply chain consulting firm to high technology companies, announced that it has launched a series of live, on-line workshops aimed at educating the electronics industry on the subject of compliance with the RoHS and WEEE environmental directives.... more...

...A tough European Union law that limits toxic substances in electronic devices takes effect on July 1, and US companies that want to do business across the Atlantic are racing to comply, spending billions of dollars to redesign their products.... more...

...AMR estimates that the average cost of IT for supporting WEEE compliance ranges between $2 million and $3 million and will consume up to 6 percent of a company's IT development budget between 2004 and 2006.... more...

...Innov-X Systems has joined with GoodBye Chain Group and NSL Analytical to present a series of online webinars to build awareness and provide information and knowledge on RoHS/WEEE Directives.... more...

..."It's inevitable that the cost of parts is going to rise. We have no choice but to make compliance with RoHS (the European Union's directive on the Restriction of certain Hazardous Substances) our highest priority." With RoHS about to come into force, many instrument manufacturers are switching the plating on their FPC (flat printed circuit) connectors and flexible substrates from conventional tin or Sn-Cu (tin-copper) plates to gold plate.... more...

...Premier Farnell said sales in the first three months of the year outpaced the market in Europe. The online and catalog distributor saw sales grow by more than 13 percent in Europe due in part to increased sales activity ahead of the RoHS deadline in July.... more...

...The U.K.'s RoHS directive enforcer, the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML), has issued its RoHS enforcement guidelines. Aiming to produce a level playing field across Europe, the document has been written in consultation with the other EU RoHS enforcement agencies.... more...

...Even those who have explored lead free know that research into compatible laminate materials, alternative surface finishes and processes for this technology is not enough. The time to implement is now and the real question is, "what are the implications of integrating lead free into my manufacturing process?"... more...