ITAR documents FCT's dedication to adhering to the regulations that control the import and export of defense-related articles and services on the United States Munitions List. FCT also updated its registration for ISO 9001:2008.

An expected recast of the RoHS (restriction of hazardous substances) environmental directive will likely carve away exclusions and possibly add new substances to the current list of six banned substances.

This award-winning paper from APEX 2010 examines how the transition to lead-free materials in the general electronics industry significantly impacts the mechanical reliability of solder joint interconnects, a fact widely recognized by the consumer electronics industry.

Lead-free solder technology has resulted in stresses on PTHs due to higher temperature excursions and cracks in solders that are more brittle than their tin-lead ancestors. Since most devices exhibit a mean time to failure that is cut in half with every 10 degrees C temperature increase, managing temperature is critical to product life expectancy.

Bosch (Division Automotive Electronics), Freescale Semiconductor, Infineon Technologies, NXP Semiconductors and STMicroelectronics today announced that they have formed a consortium to jointly investigate and standardize the acceptance of alternatives for high-lead solder for attaching die to semiconductor packages during manufacturing.

I-Connect007's team of editors, guest editors, videographers and video editors worked throughout the show to capture the keynotes, the industry's top technologists and business leaders, bringing our readers and viewers the world's most comprehensive event coverage and content.

China's amendments to its 2003 new chemical substances environmental management regulation goes into force October 15, 2010.

On April 7th, Technology Forecasters Inc. (TFI) President Pamela J. Gordon and Design Chain Associates (DCA) President Mike Kirschner will co-lead a 90-minute webinar entitled Design for Environment and Competitive Advantage.

Product counterfeiting accounts for more than 8% of global merchandise trade and is equivalent to as much as $600 billion in lost sales. Counterfeit items used in computers, aircraft, cars, telecommunications and medical devices are a serious risk for national security, health and safety.

A team of researchers at Yale University has developed a new kind of magnetic, lead free solder that could be used to manufacture electronics more cheaply and efficiently.

This paper examines the thermal properties of various halogen-free laminates used in handheld electronic products and correlates these properties with manufacturing requirements. Thermal properties investigated include z-axis CTE, time to delamination at 260°C and 288°C and temperature to decomposition.

The effect of post-reflow cleaning processes on creep corrosion are discussed in this paper from Alcatel-Lucent.The authors examine a laboratory MFG test that replicates field creep corrosion. Comparisons of creep corrosion susceptibility between OSP and ImAg PWB surface finishes are also made.

I-Connect007's team of editors, guest editors, videographers and video editors worked throughout the show to capture the keynotes, the industry's top technologists and business leaders, bringing our readers and viewers the world's most comprehensive event coverage and content.

Product counterfeiting accounts for more than 8% of global merchandise trade and is equivalent to as much as $600 billion in lost sales. Counterfeit items used in computers, aircraft, cars, telecommunications and medical devices are a serious risk for national security, health and safety.

Lead-free is changing the way military boards are specified. Product designers are finding that, as more boards use components that have lead-free solder, they must re-evaluate every aspect of their designs.

The list of replacements for eutectic tin-lead keeps growing, and now, over three years after implementation of the lead-free mandate, new alloys are still being developed. How do you cut through the clutter and find the right alloy?

Applied Nanotech Holdings, Inc. announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to receive an award of approximately $500,000 for the development of non-contact methods for mitigation of tin whiskers from electronic devices.

At the moment, the search for the Holy Grail--a solder that is a direct replacement for tin-lead--has lost a few participants, but the quest goes on within solder manufacturers. However, a replacement seems as elusive as the original.

Chairman Keith Bryant welcomed over 80 delegates to SMART Group's 25th Anniversary Seminar in Thame, near Oxford, UK, October 22, 2009. The seminar offered up-to-the-minute information on process technology, reliability, environmental and business advances.

The regulatory environment may take a new twist. U.S. legislators are considering a bill that would require companies to track the origin of raw materials, raising several questions about reporting and enforcement.

This paper examines the thermal properties of various halogen-free laminates used in handheld electronic products and correlates these properties with manufacturing requirements. Thermal properties investigated include z-axis CTE, time to delamination at 260°C and 288°C and temperature to decomposition.

Corner cracks are observed less often than barrel cracks, but with high-rel boards, we can't be too careful. Unlike barrel cracks, which can fail catastrophically, knee cracks tend to propagate over time. The damaged pad actually resembles a funnel and the warp and weft of the glass give the funnel an uneven, puckered shape.

The effect of post-reflow cleaning processes on creep corrosion are discussed in this paper from Alcatel-Lucent.The authors examine a laboratory MFG test that replicates field creep corrosion. Comparisons of creep corrosion susceptibility between OSP and ImAg PWB surface finishes are also made.

This award-winning paper from APEX 2010 examines how the transition to lead-free materials in the general electronics industry significantly impacts the mechanical reliability of solder joint interconnects, a fact widely recognized by the consumer electronics industry.

Lead-free solder technology has resulted in stresses on PTHs due to higher temperature excursions and cracks in solders that are more brittle than their tin-lead ancestors. Since most devices exhibit a mean time to failure that is cut in half with every 10 degrees C temperature increase, managing temperature is critical to product life expectancy.

Product counterfeiting accounts for more than 8% of global merchandise trade and is equivalent to as much as $600 billion in lost sales. Counterfeit items used in computers, aircraft, cars, telecommunications and medical devices are a serious risk for national security, health and safety.

IPC's Technet offers a snapshot of the issues of the day as hundreds of engineers attempt to sort out the industry's latest technological challenges. Harvey Miller, PCB007 columnist and President of Fabfile Online, has agreed to gather a few of the latest Technet exchanges for our Tech Tuesday readers.

Lead-free is changing the way military boards are specified. Product designers are finding that, as more boards use components that have lead-free solder, they must re-evaluate every aspect of their designs.

The list of replacements for eutectic tin-lead keeps growing, and now, over three years after implementation of the lead-free mandate, new alloys are still being developed. How do you cut through the clutter and find the right alloy?

"Good quality and high reliability are not an accident: They are there by design!" These were the opening words of Artetch Circuits' Martin Morrell as he introduced the SMART Group seminar on high-technology, high-reliability PCBs at the UK's NPL on November 17, 2009.

Corner cracks are observed less often than barrel cracks, but with high-rel boards, we can't be too careful. Unlike barrel cracks, which can fail catastrophically, knee cracks tend to propagate over time. The damaged pad actually resembles a funnel and the warp and weft of the glass give the funnel an uneven, puckered shape.

Lead-free solder technology has resulted in stresses on PTHs due to higher temperature excursions and cracks in solders that are more brittle than their tin-lead ancestors. Since most devices exhibit a mean time to failure that is cut in half with every 10 degrees C temperature increase, managing temperature is critical to product life expectancy.

IPC's Technet offers a snapshot of the issues of the day as hundreds of engineers attempt to sort out the industry's latest technological challenges. Harvey Miller, PCB007 columnist and President of Fabfile Online, has agreed to gather a few of the latest Technet exchanges for our Tech Tuesday readers.

The list of replacements for eutectic tin-lead keeps growing, and now, over three years after implementation of the lead-free mandate, new alloys are still being developed. How do you cut through the clutter and find the right alloy?

"Good quality and high reliability are not an accident: They are there by design!" These were the opening words of Artetch Circuits' Martin Morrell as he introduced the SMART Group seminar on high-technology, high-reliability PCBs at the UK's NPL on November 17, 2009.

At the moment, the search for the Holy Grail--a solder that is a direct replacement for tin-lead--has lost a few participants, but the quest goes on within solder manufacturers. However, a replacement seems as elusive as the original.

Chairman Keith Bryant welcomed over 80 delegates to SMART Group's 25th Anniversary Seminar in Thame, near Oxford, UK, October 22, 2009. The seminar offered up-to-the-minute information on process technology, reliability, environmental and business advances.

Finally, it looks like the U.S. military is getting serious about its supply chain. After years of neglect, a serious effort is underway to secure the components and materials needed to build reliable electronics for defense applications. What's driving this sudden interest in PCBs and assemblies? Lead-free, of course.

Lead-free was neither market-driven nor a clear next-generation of technology--it was government imposed. Now that we are three years past the official start date, there should be signs of industry standards, agreed upon "best practices" and specifications emerging. This does not seem to be the case.

Delegates and speakers from all over the world gathered at Henry Ford College, University of Loughborough, for the IeMRC conference. A truly outstanding conference, superb organisation, an excellent venue, the highest calibre of presenters and an attentive full-house audience--for what more could one ask?