Lead-free Initiative and Elimination of Banned Substances
Advanced Interconnections Corporation is committed to meeting established target dates for the elimination of lead and other banned substances from our products. To ensure that our customers will be able to meet the July 1, 2006 deadline that the European Union (EU) has set for the elimination of these substances, our company has implemented a proactive initiative to transition the substance content of our production processes, product raw materials, and packaging containers to comply with the guidelines established by the EU, as defined in the following Directives:
• Directive 2002/95/EC, 27 January 2003, (RoHS)
• Directive 2000/53/EC, 18 September 2000. (ELV)
• Directive 2002/96/EC, 27 January 2003, (WEEE)
• Directive 94/62/EC, Packaging & Packaging Waste
Therefore, the compliance deadline we've established for our company is October 1, 2005. Currently, our efforts are directed toward meeting the RoHS Directive, calling for the elimination of lead and other hazardous substances from electronic products. Of no lesser import are the other directives cited previously. Together, these Directives have an extensive scope, and many of the requirements are not applicable to our products and processes.
Everyone at Advanced Interconnections, and our Lead-free Team in particular, has been involved over the past months with product evaluations, identifying raw material substitutions, and adopting alternative ("greener") manufacturing processes. All these efforts form the necessary building blocks from which we will be better prepared to provide the best possible solutions to our customers.
Definition of Lead-free
To specifically address the issue of lead, a formal definition of exactly what constitutes a "lead-free" product must be established. We agree with the EU and define "Lead-free Products" as products in which the aggregate lead content will be less than or equal to 0.1 % by weight (an amount consistent with the RoHS Directive).
Products currently in production shall be sequentially transitioned to RoHS compliance in accordance with the following, except in the instance where specific customer requirements, agreements, or contracts exist:
- Non-compliant inventory items shall be replaced or used on the FIFO (first in, first out) basis.
- Existing standard product part numbers will not be changed. To ensure accurate ordering and ease inventory management, new part numbers will be issued for any products that are converted to lead-free compliance.
- As new, compliant products are phased-in prior to the July 1, 2006 deadline, it may be possible to mix compliant and non-compliant products within a customer delivery (subject to customer approval) since new products will be backward compliant. However, compliant products will be clearly labeled in accordance with the RoHS identification guidelines and will be distinguished by different part numbers.
- During transition to compliance, all component termination surfaces that currently specify electroplated tin-lead over a nickel barrier shall also be made available with state-of-the-art no-whisker or low-whisker electroplated matte tin (100%) over a nickel barrier as the preferred SMT wettable material. Existing lead-based products will still be available, under current part numbers, until the transition in complete worldwide.
- The matte tin surface finish is compatible with tin-lead (SnPb) and lead-free (SnCuAg) reflow.
- All component termination surfaces that specify electroplated gold over a nickel barrier are not affected and will not be changed during this transition.
- During the transition to compliance, all plastic materials used in the insulators of our products will contain only the flame retardant additives prescribed in EC Directives 2002/95/EG and 2003/11/EG:
- Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT): antimony trioxide and bromine compounds
- Polyamide (PA): antimony trioxide
- Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP): bromine free
New Product Development from this date forward shall include all applicable elements of RoHS / WEEE compliance, except in the instance where specific customer requirements, agreements, or contracts exist:
- All component termination surfaces shall be made available with state-of-the-art no-whisker or low-whisker electroplated matte tin (100%) over a nickel barrier as the preferred SMT wettable material.
- The matte tin surface finish is compatible with tin-lead (SnPb) and lead-free (SnCuAg ) reflow.
- All component termination surfaces that normally specified electroplated gold over a nickel barrier are not affected and will not be changed during this transition.
- During the transition to compliance, all plastic materials used in the insulators of our products will contain only the flame retardant additives prescribed in EC Directives 2002/95/EG and 2003/11/EG as detailed above.
Special Products are instances where exemptions or specific customer requirements, agreements, or contracts exist:
- Military and Aerospace applications are not referred to in the RoHS directive.
- Products with applications that can be considered exclusively 'aerospace' are not covered by the scope of either Directive (RoHS or WEEE). Article 2.3 of the WEEE Directive states that equipment connected with national security or military purposes is excluded from the scope of the directive. However, the RoHS Directive does not grant a similar exemption. Special exemptions and any discrepancies among the various directives will be closely monitored and documented based on individual customer application requirements.
Of course certain challenges remain, especially regarding our surface mount components' ability to reliably survive the increased temperature stress seen during the lead-free surface mount assembly processes being adopted by our customers. Nonetheless, we remain committed to a goal that our products (as applicable) meet the IPC/JEDEC J-STD-020B Moisture Reflow Sensitivity Classification. Another emerging challenge is that of cost control and cost avoidance. In addition to costs associated with the qualification and selection of new product and packaging material there will be costs associated with RoHS compliance in terms of obsolescence management, material handling procedures and staff training. On behalf of our valued customers, we pledge to be diligent in our approach to cost management.
As an ISO 9001 Certified designer and manufacturer of innovative interconnect solutions, we embrace the goals of earth-friendly manufacturing. Please see our Lead-Free Implementation Schedule for the current status of lead content and target dates for compliance with the European Directive 2002/95/EC, (RoHS), by product category. Also attached is an informative list of European Directives relating to this topic. We look forward to working with you for a seamless transition.
President
RoHS Conformance - Related Notes*
1. Details of the ban of cadmium in paints by the EU Directive 91/338/EEC:
and at all events not exceed 0.1 % by mass.
2. Details of the ban of cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead and mercury in the EU Directive 94/62/EEC:
packaging components shall not exceed 0.01% by weight.
3. Exemptions to the ban of lead as a plastic stabilizer:
4. Exemptions to the ban of cadmium in the proposed EU RoHS Directive:
relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations.
5. Exemptions to the ban of cadmium in the EU End of Life Vehicles Directive 2000/53/EC:
6. Exemptions to the ban of chromium VI in the proposed EU RoHS Directive:
7. Exemptions to the ban of chromium VI in the EU End of Life Vehicles Directive 2000/53/EC:
8. Exemptions to the ban of lead in the proposed EU RoHS Directive:
0.4% lead by weight and as a copper alloy containing up to 4% lead by weight.
for telecommunication.
9. Exemptions to the ban of lead in the EU End of Life Vehicles Directive 2000/53/EC:
Copper alloy containing up to 4 % Lead by weight.
10. Exemptions to the ban of mercury in the proposed EU RoHS Directive:
11. Exemptions to the ban of mercury in the EU End of Life Vehicles Directive 2000/53/EC:
12. Exemptions on the ban of Mercury in the Rhode Island Mercury Reduction and Education Act, 2001H6161A, 13.07.2001:
or the manufacturer shall comply with the exemption requirements pursuant to section 23-24-9-7(f) of the Act. Exemption
in place for section 23-24.9-7(a) requirements if the mercury is present in the product in order to comply with federal or
state health or safety requirements.
13. Exemptions to the ban of pentaBDE in the 24th amendment of EU Directive 76/769/EEC:
14. Exemptions to the ban of decaBDE and octaBDE in the 24th amendment of EU Directive 76/769/EEC:
15. Exemptions to the ban of PBB and PBDE in the proposed EU RoHS Directive:
Disclaimer (*): the RoHS Conformance Related notes are provided for your convenience and reference to assist your interpretation of the myriad of regulations associated with the European Union Directives cited earlier in this text. Wherever possible and to the best of our ability, we have taken care to ensure that we have presented a complete and accurate representation of these EU requirements. In the instance that there is a conflict between the conformance notes in this document and the requirements included in those EU Directives, the EU Directives shall take precedence.