PCB Suppliers Feel the RoHS Pain

"The European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)directive, along with other environmental regulations worldwide have been driving changes throughout the supply chain, with printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturers feeling the pain intensely. In the fabrication and assembly of PCBs, RoHS requires the elimination of six hazardous materials — lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers — from the production process. The elimination of lead alone from the solder used for board manufacturing and assembly is forcing a number of changes in processes, raw materials, components and equipment, according to Tony Garramone, corporate training manager at Advanced Circuits, an Aurora, Colo.-based PCB board supplier. For most board manufacturers, the major change from RoHS will be the use of laminate materials that can withstand higher processing temperatures and different final finishes." Source: reed-electronics.com