Historically, Lead Free initiatives were driven by technology and design requirements. Presently, new green board legislation is driving the elimination of Lead in the
Printed
Circuit Board manufacturing and assembly.
Manufacturers and assemblers of printed circuit boards must now take into account: technology, design, environmental, legislative, and final destination when selecting materials for Lead Free products.
The RoHS Directive (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) which involves the banning of certain substances that could end up in land fill sites caused us to re‑evaluate our manufacturing strategy with positive results.
Our Approach:
Throughout the years, we drew up a lead free road map for our assembly facility. Following our extensive investments on ongoing lead free developments, we developed a capable process for both wave soldering and reflow soldering use lead free solders.
This had given us the additional benefit of being one of the first PCB company to offer true lead free enivironment which operate in high temperature environments and those keen to embrace the new legislation and directives early as part of our business plans.
Implentations:
In the discussion of Lead Free Assembly, priority is often given to the replacement of Tin/Lead or Solder as the metal finish. However, there are several other elements of the printed circuit board and the assembly process to consider. Laminates can play an important role in successfully converting a process to lead free. Some considerations to keep in mind are:
Flame Retardants
Higher Tg Material
Reflow Temperatures
Wave Soldering
Summary:
Cirexx International continues to invest heavily on developing processes which are kinder on the environment. We have been manufacturing printed circuit boards in Silicon Valley for over 25 years and intend to create the right conditions for our company to prosper and co-exist with the local community for the all years to come.
Historically, Lead Free initiatives were driven by technology and design requirements. Presently, new green board legislation is driving the elimination of Lead in the 
products.
