Lead laws threaten electronics

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Associated Press article: ... - Nov 07, 2007 by Patrick Bruneel

This is what happens when goverment legislators buy into all... - Nov 07, 2007 by dyoungquist

Hi, I did an interesting experiment today, when we had so... - Nov 07, 2007 by Grant

Grant, Thanks for sharing that experience with us; this c... - Nov 07, 2007 by Patrick Bruneel

Patrick Bruneel

#52352

Lead laws threaten electronics | 7 November, 2007

Associated Press article: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071028/BUSINESS/710280414/1003

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dyoungquist

#52353

Lead laws threaten electronics | 7 November, 2007

This is what happens when goverment legislators buy into all the enviromentalist nonsense they are feed without taking a solid look at all the facts.

I am for using our enviroment wisely but this appears to be a case where they are going to do more harm than good in the long run.

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Grant

#52354

Lead laws threaten electronics | 7 November, 2007

Hi,

I did an interesting experiment today, when we had some government people in our factory to visit us.

I mentioned that we went lead free well before the deadline, and it's nice none of our people need to handle anything with lead content, (they nodded) but at the same time the industry is freaking out at the higher temperature we are running our ovens at is increasing global warming, as it must be because our electricity bill has really jumped since we changed over.

However at that they stopped nodding, and did not believe me. I think the problem is these people see lead as a poison, and worry about it in the waste people throw away, but see global warming as something more abstract.

They were interested to hear that we had higher failure rates as well, because the joints were more brittle, and they did not know that. However these days, people just see lead as a poison, and don't want to listen to "industry" who always complain about any change anyway.

I think business has a tradition of complaining about so many pointless things over the years when change is forced on them, that now no one trusts us when we talk about the big problems with lead free soldering.

Our hope is that there is more research on materials, and we can get new solders to use in the future. Who knows.

Regards,

Grant

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Patrick Bruneel

#52357

Lead laws threaten electronics | 7 November, 2007

Grant,

Thanks for sharing that experience with us; this comes to show what damage can be done when politicians make laws based on rumors instead of facts. New laws as drastic as removing lead in soft soldering should have been based on scientific evidence proving lead could be removed from soft soldering without any negative consequences and preferably result in improved reliability. Improved reliability should have been priority No1 because the big concern in the RoHS directive is the waste stream of electronic equipment.

As far as new alloys, I hate to tell you that no metal is as effective as lead in pacifying the aggressiveness of tin towards other metals (cold and under heat).

Lead is also the element in tin/lead alloy that gives the alloy its elasticity we require from a reliable solder joint.

The only hope is that a similar metal can be found on mars that is not as toxic as lead, because that metal doesn�t exist on this planet, and hope that the freight cost is reasonable (just kidding).

Lead-free is an �opinion written into law� and not a better technology.

Our only hope for change is when forensic investigators will conclude what we are talking about today. I just hope the disaster is not too big!!

And by the way the reason I talk this way is because I know what I�m talking about. I�ve studied the physics of soldering for over 30 years.

Patrick

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