As a supplement to the recent lead thread, the latest issue of Electronics Manufacturing Products (a UK trade paper) has a minor headline "It's tin-silver-copper". The Printed Circuit Interconnect Federation and International Tin Research Institute have apparently chosen to recommend Sn-Ag-Cu as a general multipurpose replacement for tin-lead for hand, wave and surface mount soldering, as well as in "difficult products". Six UK solder suppliers are backing it, as well as the IPC (Association Connecting Electronics Industries) (?!) and National Electronics Manufacturing Industries.
The final interesting point is that the chosen alloys can be used to solder components/PCBs with tin lead finishes. Having had problems with silver leaching in the past, I have filled in the paper's bingo style enquiry card to find out more, as they say. But it does seem that the soldering industry is quite a long way down the road to getting rid of lead, in the UK at least. If anyone's still interested in the subject, I'll post more when I get some information. Regards, Mark Who still uses a blow lamp, stick solder and Fry's flux. -- Mark Hone Wellman CJB Limited Email: [email protected] Airport Service Road Tel: +44 (0)2392 629239 (Direct) Portsmouth, Hampshire Tel: +44 (0)2392 664911 PO3 5PG, ENGLAND Fax: +44 (0)2392 697864 --------- This message is coming from the emc-pstc discussion list. To cancel your subscription, send mail to [email protected] with the single line: "unsubscribe emc-pstc" (without the quotes). For help, send mail to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected] (the list administrators).
