Breda, Holland -- One issue facing manufacturers transitioning to Pb-free soldering is the threat of cross-contamination between Pb-bearing and Pb-free materials. To help, materials supplier Cobar BV has instituted a simple, recognizable color coding standard for its solder paste products to distinguish Pb-bearing from Pb-free.
 
Pb-free solder pastes will now be packaged in green containers, while Pb-bearing pastes will continue to ship in white containers. There is no difference in the quality of the packaging material.
 
Cobar is the latest to join the ranks of solder vendors using color-coded packaging to aid in distinguishing lead and lead-free materials. Indium and Kester, among others, also package solder in similar fashion.