Lead-free Initiative and Elimination of Banned Substances

In support of our customers, environmental directives, and our own commitment to earth-friendly manufacturing, Advanced Interconnections has completed the transition related to the substance content of our production processes, product raw materials, and packaging containers to comply with the guidelines established by the European Union 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

     • Directive 1907/2006, December 2006, (REACH)

RoHS Compliance
Our efforts were mainly 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 above. Together, these Directives have an extensive scope, and many of the requirements are not applicable to our products and processes.

As the worldwide directives for environmentally-friendly manufacturing continually evolve, we remain committed to ongoing 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.

REACH Compliance
More recently, our customers have been inquiring about our REACH regulatory compliance status and the presence of potential Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). Under the REACH regulations, Advanced Interconnections is a producer of articles for sale. These articles may be exported directly to the European Union or they may eventually be included in other products exported to the European Union. We declare that all articles manufactured by Advanced Interconnections contain less than 0.1%, per supplied article, of the Substances of Very High Concern.

• Click here to view or download a copy of our current REACH Declaration Form in PDF format.

PFOS Statement
Advanced Interconnections does not use PFOS (Perflourooctane Sulfonate or Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid) in any of our products or materials.

• Click here to view or download our PFOS Statement available in PDF format.

Conflict Minerals/Metals
In response to customer inquiries regarding compliance with Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act, relating to conflict minerals (also referred to in the marketplace as conflict metals) originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries, Advanced Interconnections Corp. has prepared this statement. The scope of this statement is limited to the Conflict minerals currently defined as Tin, Tantalum, Tungsten, and Gold; also referred to as 3TG minerals.
Advanced Interconnections Corp. has contacted our direct suppliers of Gold and Tin, and certifies to the best of our knowledge that our supply chain does not contain any minerals or materials originating from or processed (smeltered) within the Democratic Republic of Congo or adjoining countries. Tantalum and Tungsten are not currently used in the manufacture of our products.
As a privately held company, we are not subject to the SEC disclosure requirement of the Dodd-Frank Act, however to support our customers worldwide and our corporate commitment to environmental compliance, we are committed to ensuring that our metals suppliers are DRC conflict-free.

• Click here to view or download our Conflict Minerals/Metals Statement available in PDF format.

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).

To ensure accurate ordering and ease inventory management, new part numbers have been issued for any products that were converted to lead-free compliance.

• All component termination surfaces that specified 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 are still available, under current part numbers, for exempt applications.
  • 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.
  • Advanced Interconnections has selected a Tin/Silver/Copper (95.5Sn/4.0Ag/0.5Cu and 96.5Sn/3.0Ag/0.5Cu) alloy with a reflow temperature of 218°C (424°F) for our lead-free solder ball material. Traditional Tin/Lead solder ball terminals are still available.
• All plastic materials used in the insulators of our products 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
  • Polyimide (PA): antimony trioxide
  • Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP): bromine free

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.

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 conversion dates by product category for compliance with the European Directive 2002/95/EC, (RoHS).

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