Legislation Impacts Legislation Impacts on on Materials Choices in Electronics Materials Choices in Electronics Manufacturing Manufacturing Martin Goosey Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre Loughborough University
Legislation ImpactsLegislation Impactsonon
Materials Choices in Electronics Materials Choices in Electronics ManufacturingManufacturing
Martin Goosey
Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre
Loughborough University
The IeMRC Mission
To establish a ‘Centre of Expertise’ through
which UK industry can access and influence
research in electronics manufacturing
To establish a ‘Centre of Expertise’ through
which UK industry can access and influence
research in electronics manufacturing
The Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre (IeMRC)
• Established in 2005
• Allocated £5 million to support research in UK academia
• Strong industrial input in setting research agenda
• Currently supporting more than 30 projects
• Most projects have a significant industrial input
• One key theme of our work is ‘‘sustainabilitysustainability’
Introduction to Sustainability
‘Meeting the needs of the present generations without
compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs’
The World Commission on Environment & Development
Sustainability - Business Context
For businesses, sustainable development means;
‘adopting strategies and activities that meet the needs
of the enterprise and its stakeholders today while
protecting, sustaining and enhancing the human and
natural resources that will be needed in the future’
Electronics and Sustainability
• Electronics are essential to the modern way of life
• Traditionally, the electronics industry has not been
regarded as operating sustainably;
– hazardous materials and processes
– short product lifecycles
– waste during manufacture and energy in use
– end of life issues around waste materials, pollution etc
Producer Responsibility Legislation
• EC drive to achieve more sustainable resource use and
a reduction in waste going to landfill
• Aims to divert end of life products for re-use, recycling or
other forms of recovery
• Producer responsibility is an extension of the ‘polluter
pays’ principle
• Places responsibility for end of life management on the
original producer
Producer Responsibility
Producer responsibility aims to encourage producers to
design products that:
– reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous materials
– use greater amounts of recyclate
– can be more easily treated at end of life
– minimise waste
– can be reused
– use fewer resources
Examples of Specific Legislation
Various Directives and Regulations aimed at implementing
Producer Responsibility in the electronics area;
– WEEE Directive
– RoHS Directive
– Energy using Products Directive
– REACH Regulations
– Batteries and Accumulators Directive
– Packaging Waste Regulations
– End of Life Vehicles Directive
Influence of Legislation on Materials
• This growing portfolio of legislation is having a significant
impact on the materials that can be used in electronics
• The RoHS Directive brought about the move to lead-free
assembly in Europe AND the rest of the world
• It also proscribed several other substances and had
implications on materials choices
• New materials are required for lead-free products
• There is also growing pressure on the use of brominated
flame retardants and other useful organic materials
Electronics, Materials and Sustainability
Flame retardants Lead
Cadmium
Mercury
ChromiumPhthalates
ArsenicAntimony
Example: PCB Materials for Lead-free
• Lead-free assembly means higher soldering temperatures
• Higher soldering temperatures can have a number of
impacts;
- increased stresses/thermal expansion issues
- thermal degradation of materials
- reliability and performance issues
- new and enhanced failure mechanisms
Example: PCB Materials for Lead-free
• Increase Tg to reduce overall thermal expansion
• Increase thermal stability, Td, for lead-free soldering
temperature compatibility and multiple solder cycles
• Use alternative curing agents eg replace dicyandiamide
with novolac resins
• Replacing TBBPA can also enhance thermal stability and
give better environmental credentials
Influence of laminate choice on desmear
As Drilled/Received Desmeared
Standard FR4 ie Tg 135-150°C
Influence of laminate choice on desmearDesmeared High Tg Material
Impact of Bromine and Nitrogen in PCBs
• Traditional PCB laminates are dicyandiamide cured
epoxides with added TBBPA flame retardant
• Both materials have a negative impact on thermal stability
• They help facilitate the thermal decomposition of epoxies
• Removal of both improves stability
• Removal of bromine has greatest impact
Influence of Legislation on Material Choices
• Legislation is forcing the removal of hazardous materials
and their replacement with new more benign ones
• However, the legislation also has a broader focus on
making us all behave in a more sustainable manner
• Electronic goods are increasingly treated as low-cost,
commodity items that are discarded before end of life
• A waste of valuable resources
• Need to recover more materials
Influence of Legislation on Material Choices
• Legislation is setting targets for recycling and recovery of
materials and these are likely to become stricter
• Recycling is easier if fewer types of materials are used
and if they contain no hazardous substances
• Need for more plastic recycling
• Requires new technologies and materials
The Legislation is Spreading Globally
• China has introduced its own RoHS legislation – same
list of materials but a different way of administering
• California RoHS – same metals but limited number of
products, mainly around those with displays
• Others include Korea, Taiwan, Canada and several Latin
American countries
• More in the process of implementing
The Legislation is Expanding Materially
• Norway’s proposed ‘Super RoHS’ or PoHS – includes 18
substances 16 of which are different to RoHS
• An EU RoHS substance review is currently being
undertaken by the Oko Institut in Germany
• A list of 46 substances has been drawn up for scrutiny
• These are similar to the materials likely to require
authorisation under the REACH regulations
• Convergence of RoHS and REACH?
Materials Opportunities
• Replacement of traditional materials with new ones can
make products more sustainable and more profitable whilst
offering enhanced performance
• Removal of hazardous materials makes recycling easier
• Use of fewer types of materials helps simplify recycling
• Emerging alternatives to non-renewable materials
- biopolymers and degradable materials
- NEC’s shape memory modified PLA
Electronics Repurposing
Convert existing electronics to a new multiuse module
Summary and Conclusions
• Producer responsibility legislation is having an impact on
materials choices in electronics manufacturing
• The drive is to eliminate the use of hazardous materials
…... and to encourage materials recovery and recycling
• There are opportunities for new materials and processes
• The overall aim is to make electronics more sustainable
Legislation Impacts on Materials Legislation Impacts on Materials Choices in Electronics Choices in Electronics
ManufacturingManufacturing
Martin Goosey
Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre
Loughborough University