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Livewire, electronics, sensors and photonics newsletter

Issue 14 Summer 2004
Soldering Special

LiveWire, the Electronics, Photonics, Sensors and Medical Implants newsletter from TWI, brings you the latest information on research, equipment, case studies, training and upcoming events. If you would like to discuss any of the articles please contact the author or the Electronics and Sensors team who will be happy to hear your opinions and comments.



The deadline for the European Environmental compliance is approaching fast - there's not much time to develop your solutions

Latest News

Printed circuit board

The deadline for End of Life Vehicles (ELV) producer registration is 31 December 2004 and the Environmental Liability Directive was published in the Official Journal on 30 April 2004.

On 30 July 2004, The UK's Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) published guidelines and draft regulations for the implementation of two EU Directives: Waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS). The DTI guidelines describe the steps that producers need to take if they're to comply with the EU Directives.

As implementation starts in 2004, producers need to be aware of the implications for their existing products and procedures in advance of the July 2006 deadline. In October 2004 the maximum concentration values for RoHS will be confirmed. At present the values suggested are:

Lead 0.1% by weight in homogeneous material
Mercury
Hexavalant Chromium
PBB
PBDE
Cadmium 0.1% by weight in homogeneous material

Guidance developed by the EU and agreed by the Technical Adaptation Committee understands homogenous to mean 'of uniform composition throughout'. Homogeneous materials cannot be mechanically disjointed by actions such as unscrewing, cutting, crushing, grinding and abrasive processes.

New Seminar: Impending Euro Environmental Legislation Day

As a world-leading authority on environmental legislation, TWI can help you to meet your deadlines for implementation and guide you to practical solutions for the problems posed by the new European Environmental legislation in the Electronics and Related Sectors.

The Seminar will cover:

  • WEEE (Waste from electrical & electronic equipment)
  • RoHS (Restriction of hazardous substances)
  • EuP (Energy using products)
  • ELV (End of life vehicles - from an electronics perspective)
  • Environmental liability
  • IPPC (Integrated pollution prevention and control)

The all day programme, with opportunities to consult with our experts, will be held at TWI, Cambridge on Wednesday 22 September 2004.

Attendance at the TWI European Environmental Legislation Seminar will not only ensure that you are fully up to date with current developments, but you will receive practical implementation solutions relevant to your company in the electronics and related industry sectors.

£100 for TWI members, £125 for non-members +VAT.

To confirm your attendance, call Helen before 1 September on 01223 899000, email helen.everson@twi.co.uk.

New TWI proposed project: Tin Whiskers - reducing the risk

Brief Background

Tin whisker on pure tin plated component
Courtesy NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Tin whisker on pure tin plated component

For decades, it has been known that plated layers of certain metals are susceptible to a phenomenon known as whisker growth, whereby fine filaments of the plated metal spontaneously 'grow' from the surface of the plating:

  • whisker length can range in length from tens of microns to several millimetres
  • incubation periods of days to years
  • affected metals include zinc, cadmium and tin.

There is a history of failures in electronic equipment resulting from short circuits caused by metal whiskers:

  • was first reported in the 1940s
  • subsequent instances of failures, including loss of satellites, reported over the years
  • failures usually relates to pure tin plating
  • tin plating has been used widely in electronic equipment for its good soldering characteristics.

It was established early on that the addition of a small proportion of lead to tin plating generally suppresses whisker formation and this became standard practice for tin based finishes. However, the current trend to lead-free finishes to meet new environmental legislation has prompted many component suppliers to switch back to pure tin coatings, which has renewed the risk of whisker-related system failures.

Current issues:

  • lack of agreed plating standards for minimisation of whiskers
  • lack of standardised tests to determine susceptibility of finishes to whisker growth
  • evidence that some alloys in use as alternatives to pure tin are also prone to whisker growth
  • the trend towards high pin-count devices with decreased separations between terminals increases risk from whiskers

Proposed Programme

In response to concerns about risks from tin whisker induced faults to high reliability products, TWI has defined an outline programme of activities to provide manufacturers with tools to minimise the hazard of tin whiskers in their products. The programme will also be of potential interest to component manufacturers supplying to high reliability markets.

The detailed content and priorities of the programme will be determined in discussion with prospective sponsoring organisations. The project is due for launch in late 2004.

For further information on this proposed programme please contact Hugh de Lacy on hugh.delacy@twi.co.uk

TWI and IPC training

Not only can TWI offer a training programme for employees that have never soldered before*; we can now also train them and your experienced hand soldering operators to the World-wide recognised and approved IPC J-STD-001C standard.

In the ever-changing world of electronics, hand soldering is still a critical function within many companies, whether they are small or large. With customers requiring the highest quality level of soldering, IPC certification demonstrates that your company is dedicated and determined in producing goods to the highest standard possible.

IPC also brings stability to the production environment and quality departments. Your company would achieve high recognition in the electronics market as a result of IPC's documented process requirements. Second to none, they comprise the monitoring and control of components, tools and machinery, for example, and interrelated quality procedures.

Operators are trained to IPC J-STD-001C. This standard incorporates five modules, each of eight hours, as follows:

  • Module 1: General study of all requirements
  • Module 2: Wires and terminals
  • Module 3: Through Hole Technology
  • Module 4: Surface Mount Technology
  • Module 5: Inspection Methodology

The programme is designed to help electronics manufacturers produce high quality products at the lowest possible cost by promoting a greater understanding of the soldering and assembly processes through standardised training.

Upon completion of the course, the operator will have a thorough understanding of the requirements and philosophy of J-STD-001C. They will possess the knowledge to implement J-STD-001C assembly processes and will develop and demonstrate the soldering skills necessary to assemble products in-accordance with J-STD-001C.

Personnel who satisfactorily complete the programme are issued with an Operator Proficiency Certificate.

For further information contact:
Geoff Bambrook, TWI North, Middlesbrough, Tel: 01642 210512
E-mail: geoff.bambrook@twi.co.uk or Graeme Bell ( graeme.bell@twi.co.uk).

*The training of Module 1 assumes that the students know some of the basic concepts and materials associated with hand soldering. If employees have not previously performed soldering activities they should attend the Hand soldering for beginners course.

Update on two of TWIs upcoming Lead-Free collaborative programmes

FlexNoLead

Flexible circuit boards are a functionally pivotal and rapidly growing technology for electronics goods in a wider variety of applications. The drive to use flexible circuits is based on the technologies ability to reduce size; weight; assembly time and cost; accommodate relative movement between assembly elements; increase system reliability (reduced interconnect); improve controlled impedance signal transmission and heat dissipation and enable three dimensional packaging.

These benefits have resulted in a significant increase in the use of flexible circuits for electronics and systems assembly, particularly in consumer products. The global market size has been estimated by various bodies to be between euro4 billion to euro7 billion with anticipated growth rates up to 15% per year.

Many of the material systems used for flexible circuits are sensitive to temperature, which raises considerable concerns as to their capabilities of withstanding the higher soldering temperatures imposed by lead-free solder processes and the impact on their operating properties and reliability.

The euro1.8M EU FlexNoLead project will assist companies by establishing solutions to the assembly of flexible circuits for lead-free soldering. It encompasses material evaluation and optimisation, test circuit design and population, assembly process development, reliability testing and modelling.

The key scientific and technical objectives are:

  1. To develop flexible circuit material processes and design techniques to ensure product manufacture, performance and reliability are not compromised by the introduction of lead-free assembly in July 2006.
  2. To develop predictive techniques for lifetime assessment, including modelling and virtual qualification techniques, to enable confidence in product performance and reduced design and testing time.
  3. To undertake comprehensive testing to generate information on failure modes/criteria to enable predictive model validation.
  4. To provide specific recommendations on the use and maintenance of lead-free flexible circuit assemblies.

For more information contact Graeme Bell at graeme.bell@twi.co.uk or tel: 07760 177532 or Damien Kirkpatrick: damien.kirkpatrick@twi.co.uk



LEADOUT - a project about to kick-off

EU legislation based on the restriction of certain hazardous substances will force many electronics assembly companies to make changes to the materials and processes they use in everyday manufacturing. LEADOUT is an EU sponsored collective research programme that will assist SMEs to implement lead free soldering that complies with the legislation. The Euro4.5M project will last for three years, and includes 32 partners from 10 European countries. The partners include research and development providers, industry advisory groups and SMEs themselves, and the project will help these SMEs to develop low cost lead-free soldering processes with improved yields and increased environmental awareness. It will then be the role of the advisory groups to disseminate the results of the project in an ongoing manner, so that all SMEs in the EU can benefit from the programme. For more information, please contact Simon Mason at simon.mason@twi.co.uk

DTI latest information

WEEE and RoHS Update July 2004

As the next stage in preparation for UK implementation of the WEEE/RoHS Directives, the DTI has posted on its website details of a new consultation on draft implementing legislation and accompanying guidance for WEEE and RoHS, which it has launched as of 30 July 04.

The papers for this consultation can be viewed on its WEEE/RoHS web page via:
www.dti.gov.uk/sustainability/weee/

You will see that this consultation runs until Friday 29 October 2004.
If you have any views on this you would like to discuss with TWI please contact Norman on norman.stockham@twi.co.u or 01223 899000.

Meet TWIs Primary Soldering, Lead-free and Assembly Experts

Middlesbrough +44 (0)1642 210512
Graeme
graeme.bell@twi.co.uk		 Geoff
geoff.bambrookl@twi.co.uk		  
Graeme Bell Geoff Bambrook  
Cambridge +44 (0)1223 899000
Simon
simon.mason@twi.co.uk		 Hugh
hugh.delacy@twi.co.uk		 Damien
damien.kirkpatrick@twi.co.uk
Simon Mason Hugh De Lacy Damien Kirkpatrick

TWI-North, Middlesbrough

Lead-Free Line

Lead-Free Line

TWI offers the service of a dedicated lead-free line at Middlesbrough. Companies can use the line to trial boards and processes without interfering with their own company process line.

Both member and non-member companies are invited to access this line.

For information on trialing your boards please contact geoff.bambrook@twi.co.uk or simon.mason@twi.co.uk

Environmental legislation impact audits

TWI also offers in-house one-day lead-free processing or environmental legislation impact audits at your company - specific information on how your processes and products will be affected and steps you will need to take. This can be extended to assess the effect on company supply chains.

TWI training course - Hand soldering for beginners

Dates/Venue

On demand at Middlesbrough or on-site
Duration 1 day
Fee 2004: £250 + VAT
(minimum 4 people for on-site)

Course content

This practical course gives an introduction to the common soldering methods used to assemble printed circuit boards, i.e. hand soldering for through-hole and surface mount components. It covers the different materials required, health & safety requirements and looks at the quality aspect of the soldered joint. Lead-free and tin lead soldering will be covered in this course. The course can also be used as a preparatory course for the IPC J-STD-001C training for those who have not previously performed soldering activities.

This course is also ideal as a refresher for operators who have let their soldering skills lapse.

For further information contact: Geoff Bambrook, TWI North, Middlesbrough, Tel: 01642 210512
E-mail: geoff.bambrook@twi.co.uk or Simon Mason at Cambridge simon.mason@twi.co.uk

TWI training course ATC94 - Tin/lead and lead-free soldering techniques for electronics

Dates/Venue

21 October 2004 Middlesbrough
Duration 1 day
Fee 2004: £365 + VAT

Course content

This mainly theoretical course gives an introduction to the common soldering methods used to assemble printed circuit boards, i.e. hand, wave and surface mount soldering. It covers the different materials required and looks at the influence of different process parameters on the solder joint. Lead-free soldering will be covered in detail, including the material options and the process modifications required when changing over from tin/lead based alloys.

For further information please contact Chris Otter chris.otter@twi.co.uk or Simon Mason simon.mason@twi.co.uk

Other dates for your lead-free diary

Electronics Goes Green (EGG) 2004
6-8 September 2004, Germany, www.egg2004.izm.fraunhofer.de

TWI Impending Euro Environmental Legislation Day
Wednesday 22 September 2004 at TWI, Cambridge, UK
Email: helen.everson@twi.co.uk

Wales, UK - Lead-Free Briefings
28 Sept-Conwy - 29 Sept- Wrexham
5 Oct- Cardiff - 6 Oct- Port Talbot
JStoten-MAS@uwic.ac.uk

Flip-Chips with Everything! Seminar
29 September 2004, TWI Cambridge, rachel.wall@twi.co.uk or www.eppic-faraday.com/seminars.html

Globaltronics Technology Conference and Lead Free Solder Symposium, September 8-10, 2004, Singapore www.globaltronics.com.sg

Further conference, seminar and workshop information.

Electronics, Sensors and Photonics Group
TWI Ltd
Granta Park
Great Abington
Cambridge
CB1 6AL

Tel: +44 (0)1223 899000
Fax: +44 (0)1223 894615
e-mail: electronicsandsensors@twi.co.uk

LiveWire is the bi-monthly newsletter of TWI's Electronics, Photonics, Sensors and Medical Section.
Editors: Helen Everson and Andrew Watts

Articles in this publication are for information only. TWI does not accept responsibility for the consequences of actions taken by others after reading this information.

Copyright ©2004 TWI Ltd

Information and advice from TWI and its partners are provided in good faith and based, where appropriate, on the best engineering knowledge available at the time and incorporated into TWI's website in accordance with TWI's ISO 9001:2000 accredited status. No warranty expressed or implied is given regarding the results or effects of applying information or advice obtained from the website, nor is any responsibility accepted for any consequential loss or damage.
Tel : +44 (0)1223 899000
Fax : +44 (0)1223 892588
Email : twi@twi.co.uk