Posted January 30, 2002 Manufacturing News NEMI's Lead-Free Assembly Project Reports Results at APEX 2002 The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative's (Herndon, Va.; www.nemi.org) Lead-Free Assembly Project reported its latest findings during an industry forum at the APEX conference in San Diego. The 30-month project, nearing completion, has concluded that the tin-silver-copper alloy it has recommended for reflow soldering is - for commercial applications - as good as, or better than, the tin-lead solder commonly used today. "Eliminating lead in the solder used for electronic assemblies creates a ripple effect that is felt by the entire supply chain, including board manufacturers, component suppliers, and process equipment manufacturers," said Edwin Bradley, principal staff engineer for Motorola's Advanced Product Technology Center and chair of the NEMI Lead-Free Assembly Project. The NEMI project, involving approximately 30 companies, has focused activities in four areas: alloy, process, components and reliability. In January 2000, the NEMI Lead-Free Assembly Project recommended SnAgCu as an industry standard lead-free alloy to replace tin-lead. Since that time, the project has undertaken several activities to enhance basic understanding of the material and assure its reliability. The Manufacturing Report © Copyright 2002 by Lionheart Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. E-mail Editorial Dept: tmr-editorial@lionhrtpub.com Lionheart Publishing, Inc. 2555 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 299, Atlanta, GA 30339 USA Phone: 770-431-0867 | Fax: 770-432-6969 E-mail: lpi@lionhrtpub.com