Silver News
The Days of Lead-Based Solder Are Numbered - Silver/Tin/Copper Solder Expected as Replacement
With the European Union out front on banning lead used in electronics equipment - mainly in solder for circuit connections - many manufacturers are switching to a combination of tin, copper and silver instead.
The changeover could mean an increase in the amount of silver used in solder, although how much is unclear because the appropriate ratio of tin, copper and silver has not yet been determined. The mix may end up different for each specific application. In 2003, 37.5 million ounces of silver were used in brazing and soldering worldwide, an amount that has remained fairly stable over the past few years, according to the World Silver Survey 2004.
What is certain, however, is that the usual solder mixture
of 63 percent tin and 37 percent lead is on the way out, spurred by the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
legislation that will apply throughout the EU starting in July, 2006. The law bans all products containing more than a trace amount of lead, mercury, cadmium and several other hazardous substances. Currently, about 90 percent of electronic components contain some lead.
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Although the rules apply only to EU countries, it is being
felt worldwide. Intel, for example, has already spent $100 million getting the lead out of its chips, even though most of them are produced in Asia. In 2002, the company started using a tin, silver, copper alloy for solder in its line of leadfree flash memory chips. China currently is considering regulations similar to the RoHS.
While there is no national mandate to remove lead from electronic components produced in the United States - the Environmental Protection Agency instead is allowing market
forces to operate - U.S. companies are jumping aboard the lead-free wagon. Ten thousand U.S. companies are spending
an average of $100,000 to $200,000 per product or product line in the conversion, according to consulting firm Design Chain Associates. Not only are there costs
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associated with manufacturing changes but lead free solder itself costs about 150 percent more than its lead counterpart. Experts say consumers may see a 1 percent price increase to personal computers and 2 percent increase in a mobile phone because of the new alloys.
Without a federal mandate, some states are instituting their own regulations, with California being one of the most active. The state will enforce regulations consistent with those in the EU by January, 2007. The regulation will not include mobile phones or DVD players if manufacturers make plans to safely recycle or dispose of the products. Most manufacturers, however, are expected to comply with the EU standard instead
of handling toxic wastes at the end of a product’s life cycle.
Silver News - Second Quarter 2005
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