Research trends in lead-free soldering in the US: NCMS Lead-Free Solder Project

In 1997, the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences Lead-Free Solder Project carried out by a consortium of 11 industrial corporations, academic institutions, and national laboratories completed its four year program to identify, and evaluate alternatives to eutectic tin-lead solder. The goal of the project was to determine whether safe, reliable, nontoxic and cost-effective substitutes exist for lead-bearing solders in electronics manufacturing. To find an alternative to lead in solders requires gaining knowledge equivalent to the knowledge base already in existence for lead-bearing solders. The production of durable, reliable, safe and affordable electronic products with lead-free solders requires the manufacturer to understand material properties, manufacturing processes and equipment, toxicological effects, alloy cost and long-term availability and reliability. This talk summarized the major results of this multiyear research program, including manufacturing and reliability trials, and studies of the root causes of “fillet lifting” in plated through hole joints