Technical Assistance

Ensuring RoHS-compliant parts and products involves the careful and cooperative involvement of the entire electronics supply chain. By far the most difficult aspect of compliance is transitioning to lead-free assembly. However, it is important not to forget the other restricted substances, which are found commonly throughout electronics parts and components. Here is a brief summary of the chemicals and where they are typically found:

• Switches
• Lamps, bulbs, lighting
• Displays, scanners, projectors
• Pigments, paints
• Polyurethane materials
• PVC & rubber additives

• PVC cables
• Pigments (yellow), paints
• Metal finishing/plating
• Connector/switch/relay contacts
• Phosphorescent coatings
• LEDs
• Recycled plastic materials

• Metal finishing for corrosion protection (Example: yellow chromate)
• Chassis, fasteners
• Pigments, paints
• Aluminum conversion coatings, alloys
• Residual Cr+6 remain in product?

• Plastics, housings (V0 rated)
• Cables
• PCBs, connectors, fans
• Components (high power/heat)
• Paints

• Solders
• Leads, board finish, interconnects
• PVC cables (UV/heat stabilizer)
• Pigments, paints
• Platings, coatings, lubricants
• Glass, photoconductors, glass
• Metal parts, chassis, washers

The Mabbett Group provides technical assistance to help clients smooth their transition to RoHS-compliant manufacturing and products. We specialize in the following areas:

• Product design - Many companies believe that they must purchase expensive new equipment to accomplish lead-free and RoHS-compliant assembly. But we believe that with careful (and often simple) design modifications and process control techniques, companies can utilize existing process equipment - without sacrificing functionality. For example, sensitive components can often be reoriented on the board to take advantage of (or be protected from) temperature gradients across the board due to thermal mass variations.

• Lead-free transition engineering - Should you use nitrogen or air atmosphere in reflow? Can you use the same stencil for paste printing? What is the best lead-free board finish for your process? What adjustments will you have to make to your pick-and-place machine? What is the best reflow profile? Should we use cooling after reflow? Is tin-silver-copper (SnAgCu) the best alloy for you? What modifications will you have to make during reliability inspection?

  There are many questions and there is much confusion about the reality of going lead-free. The Mabbett Group can help you answer these and other lead-free manufacturing and processing questions. Our engineers have expertise in the lead-free printed wiring board process from design to assembly to inspection to reliability testing.

• Custom-designed BMP guidelines and frameworks - The Mabbett Group draws from our depth of experience working for a broad array of electronics companies, large and small, local and international, to help you develop best management practice guidelines and frameworks for all stages of printed wiring board assembly from design to rework.

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