Learning with Leo: Drones—Meeting Demand Without Compromise
Nolan’s Notes: Our Spotlight on North America
Global Sourcing Spotlight: Building a Supply Chain That Bends, Not Breaks
October 31, 2016 EPA CDR Reporting Applies to Many Manufacturers
October 25, 2016 | IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The deadline for complying with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule is October 31, 2016.
Under EPA interpretation of the CDR regulations, manufacturers who send byproducts, such as wastewater treatment sludge, spent etchant or spent baths, for recycling may be required to report under the CDR because EPA views the byproduct stream as a new chemical because it is a feedstock to the recycling process. The applicability of the CDR reporting requirements depends on a number of factors including the amounts of specific chemicals in the byproduct.
For example, any printed circuit board manufacturer using ammonium chloride etchant in excess of approximately 784 gallons per year during 2102, 2013, 2014, or 2015 and sending the spent etchant for recycling is likely to exceed the 2,500 lb. reporting threshold for copper tetraammine chloride.
Recently, IPC achieved a long-sought goal with the inclusion of a requirement for EPA to reexamine this rule passage as part of the of The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act amending TSCA, however this does not change the need to report this year.
For more information, please review our CDR guidance and TSCA CDR website. You may also contact Fern Abrams, IPC director of regulatory affairs at FernAbrams@ipc.org or +1 202 661-8092.
Share on:
Testimonial
"In a year when every marketing dollar mattered, I chose to keep I-Connect007 in our 2025 plan. Their commitment to high-quality, insightful content aligns with Koh Young’s values and helps readers navigate a changing industry. "
Brent Fischthal - Koh YoungSuggested Items
Driving Innovation: Selecting the Right Laser Source
04/28/2026 | Simon Khesin -- Column: Driving InnovationWhen I first joined Schmoll Maschinen, I brought experience from almost every PCB process, except for laser. As I immersed myself in laser processing, I realized why it can seem so daunting to a newcomer. The complexity arises from three intersecting factors: A vast variety of laser sources: CO2, UV-nano, green-pico, UV-pico, IR-pico, and others; a diverse range of applications: Drilling, cutting, ablation, and more; and an extensive list of materials: These have vastly different absorption rates. Choosing the right machine or laser source is rarely trivial. Even for experienced engineers, answering "Which source is best?" requires examining the business's specific goals.
Institute of Circuit Technology Spring Seminar 2026: A Bright Future in Europe
04/23/2026 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007Through the leafy lanes and spring flowers of Warwickshire and back to Meridan, the traditional centre of England, and now officially part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the county of the West Midlands, I attended the Annual General Meeting and Spring Seminar of the Institute of Circuit Technology (ICT) on April 14. Out of the AGM came notable changes in leadership at the top of the Institute: the retirement of Mat Beadel as chair and Emma Hudson as technical director. Effective May 1, Steve Driver is the new chair, and Alun Morgan is the new technical director.
ACCM Unveils Negative and Near-zero CTE Materials for Large-Format AI Chips
04/21/2026 | Advanced Chip and Circuit MaterialsAdvanced Chip and Circuit Materials, Inc. (ACCM) has launched two new materials: Celeritas HM50, with a negative coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of -8 ppm/°C to offset the positive CTE and expansion of copper with temperature on circuit boards, and Celeritas HM001, with near-zero CTE and the low-loss performance needed for high-speed signal layers to 224 Gb/s and faster in artificial intelligence (AI) circuits.
Fresh PCB Concepts: Designing PCBs for Harsh Environments—Reliability Is Engineered Upstream
04/23/2026 | Team NCAB -- Column: Fresh PCB ConceptsWhen engineers hear the phrase “harsh environment,” they usually think of the extreme temperature swings, vibration and shock, pressure changes, or radiation in aerospace. However, aerospace is not the only harsh environment where electronic assemblies must survive. Automotive power electronics, downhole oil and gas tools, marine controls, rail systems, defense platforms, and industrial automation equipment all expose PCBs to environments that are equally unforgiving. The stress mechanisms may differ, but the physics does not.
Advanced Packaging for AI: Reliability Starts at the Cu/Cu/Cu Microvia Junction
04/20/2026 | Kuldip Johal, MKS' AtotechThe rapid growth of AI computing, from training clusters to inference at scale, is reshaping demand across the entire electronics supply chain. Advances in technology requirements, such as higher bandwidth, lower latency, and greater compute density, are driving the development of advanced packaging technologies and transforming the PCB industry across design, manufacturing, testing, and even architecture.