HERNDON, VA – The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative announced some 22 member companies -- the most ever for a new program -- have signed on for the official launch of its HFR-Free Leadership Program.

As an umbrella for several projects, program activities will provide a technical evaluation of key electrical and mechanical properties of "HFR*-free" (or "low halogen") materials to ensure reliability and performance of replacement materials. Projects will also assess technology readiness and supply chain capabilities.Participating iNEMI members include Cisco, Dell Delphi, HP, Huawei, Lenovo, Celestica, Flextronics, Foxconn, Quanta Computer, Intel, Nan Ya and others.

"iNEMI OEM members account for 40% of the PC shipments worldwide, and these companies are all working to remove halogenated flame-retardants from their products,” said Robert Pfahl, vice president of global operations for iNEMI. "However, this kind of conversion must be implemented throughout the supply chain and requires coordination among companies. There are two key aspects to be addressed for widescale conversion. The first is to use a scientific approach to identify replacement materials that provide the same or better performance and reliability with reduced environmental impact. The second is to build industry consensus on these solutions to ensure a standardized approach throughout the supply chain."

Program goals include:

·         Define electrical signaling and PCB material property requirements as well as the associated test conditions that deliver the data required to make design and supply chain readiness decisions.

·         Define the material set parameters and test conditions for all relevant market segments.

·         Leveraging prior investigations, carry out the necessary testing of available materials from participating companies.

·         Publish a set of material guidelines for use by industry that meets all market segment requirements — signaling, mechanical, quality/reliability, SMT yield and environmental. (This may require design tradeoffs or material property changes to resolve marginal parameters.)

·         Drive test conditions and material properties into supplier data sheets. (This effort may entail coordination with standards organizations to revise existing industry standards.)

The initial projects organized under the HFR-Free Leadership Program are the HFR-Free PCB Materials Project and the HFR-Free Signal Integrity Project.  While the initial sign-up period for these two projects is now closed, it is still possible for additional firms to participate by petitioning the founding members.

A related project — the PVC Alternatives Project — is currently in development.  It will evaluate alternatives to PVC (including additives) in electronic cable and wire applications using a lifecycle assessment (LCA) approach.

For additional information, go to inemi.org/cms/projects/ese/HFR-Free_Leadership.html.