Environmental regulations are forcing the elimination of lead (Pb) from electronic equipment. 2005 will be the year that many electronics assemblers will be transitioning their soldering processes from traditional tin-lead alloys to lead-free alloys. Many alternatives to tin-lead have been proven to be technically viable in relatively small volumes, but the implementation of the new processes in high-volume manufacturing presents a series of new challenges to engineering and operations personnel. This paper reviews six major considerations for implementing lead-free soldering processes in a manufacturing operation: equipment evaluation, materials compatibility, separating and identifying the two separate processes, training, validating the process, and beginning continual improvement. Details of each consideration are discussed and summarized in a checklist format at the end of the paper.
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