IPC (Northbrook, IL) and JEDEC, the Solid State Technology Association, have announced plans to further their efforts in preparing electronics manufacturers for the inevitable European ban on lead by co-sponsoring three international conferences on Lead-Free Electronic Components and Assemblies in the U.S., Europe and Asia in 2004.

Ever since the European Union agreed upon the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) Directive, in which all affected electrical equipment sold in Europe after July 1, 2006, must be free of lead, IPC and JEDEC have taken an active role in keeping the industry informed of changing requirements and encouraging the voluntary elimination of lead. In their second year of jointly producing domestic and international conferences on lead-free electronics, IPC and JEDEC will host lead-free conferences on March 17-19, 2004, in San Jose, CA; in August 2004 in Singapore and Oct. 20-22, 2004, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Each international conference provides tutorials focusing on subjects such as manufacturing with lead-free, halogen-free and conductive adhesive materials, as well as various workshops that introduce lead-free solders and present selection criteria for lead-free compositions.

The associations will also select industry experts to present a two-day technical conference covering crucial lead-free topics. Presently, conference chairs Jean Hebeisen and David Bergman of IPC and John Kelly and Donna McEntire of JEDEC are seeking papers and presentations in the following areas:

Policy: European lead ban status
Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Industry: On the front line of the change
Component issues (passives and actives)
Design issues
Environmental health and safety effects and alternatives
Printed circuit board (PCB) issues
Original equipment manufacturer (OEM)/Consumer demands/voluntary elimination dates
Recycling options
Substitutions: New commercially available alloys/conductive adhesives/ease of replacement
Cost issues
Reliability evaluations (such as temperature cycling data, tin whiskers)
Roadblocks to implementation
Finishes issues: Organic solder protectants, immersion tin, silver, electroless nickel and palladium
Lead-free and other product sectors

For more information on the conferences or submitting abstracts, visit: www.jedec.org or www.ipc.org.

Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.

• Prev
• Next