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iNEMI HFR-Free Leadership Program Launches
August 3, 2009 |Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
HERNDON, VA The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) officially launched its HFR-Free Leadership Program with 22 companies participating. As an umbrella for several projects, program activities will provide a technical evaluation of key electrical and mechanical properties of HFR*-free (low halogen**) materials to ensure reliability and performance of replacement materials. Projects will also assess technology readiness and supply chain capabilities.
iNEMI member companies participating in this effort are OEMs Cisco, Dell, Delphi Corporation, HP, Huawei, and Lenovo; EMS providers/ODMs Celestica, Flextronics, Foxconn, and Quanta Computer; and suppliers Albemarle, Doosan Corporation Electro-Materials, Elec & Eltek (E&E), Elite Material Co. Ltd., Guangdong Shengyi Sci. Tech Co. Ltd., IBIDEN, IST-Integrated Service Technology Inc., Intel Corporation, ITEQ Corporation, Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, Rohm & Haas (Dow Chemical Company), and Shenzhen Pacific Insulating Material Co. Ltd. (PIC).
"iNEMI OEM members account for 40% of the PC shipments worldwide, and these companies are all working to remove halogenated flame retardants from their products," said Robert Pfahl, Ph.D., VP of global operations for iNEMI and author of the Green Has to Mean Better column in SMT. "However, this kind of conversion must be implemented throughout the supply chain and requires coordination among companies. There are two key aspects to be addressed for widescale conversion. The first is to use a scientific approach to identify replacement materials that provide the same or better performance and reliability with reduced environmental impact. The second is to build industry consensus on these solutions to ensure a standardized approach throughout the supply chain. The iNEMI program is focused on activities in support of both of these areas, and the companies participating in these efforts represent the full spectrum of the supply chain, which gives us a much greater chance for success."
Program goals include:
- • Define electrical signaling and PCB material property requirements as well as the associated test conditions that deliver the data required to make design and supply chain readiness decisions.• Define the material set parameters and test conditions for all relevant market segments.• Leveraging prior investigations, carry out the necessary testing of available materials from participating companies.• Publish a set of material guidelines for use by industry that meets all market segment requirements signaling, mechanical, quality/reliability, SMT yield and environmental. (This may require design trade-offs and/or material property changes to resolve marginal parameters.)• Drive test conditions and material properties into supplier data sheets. (This effort may entail coordination with standards organizations to revise existing industry standards.)
The initial projects organized under the HFR-Free Leadership Program are the HFR-Free PCB Materials Project and the HFR-Free Signal Integrity Project. While the initial sign-up period for these two projects is now closed, it is still possible for additional firms to participate by petitioning the founding members.
A related project, the PVC Alternatives Project, is currently in development. It will evaluate alternatives to PVC (including additives) in electronic cable and wire applications using a lifecycle assessment (LCA) approach.
For additional information, visit http://www.inemi.org/cms/projects/ese/HFR-Free_Leadership.html.
* HFR = halogenated flame retardant** defined as BFR/CFR/PVC***-free*** BFR = brominated flame retardant CFR = chlorinated flame retardant PVC = polyvinyl chloride