	Electronic Engineering News Digest
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iNEMI forms HFR-Free Leadership Program - The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) has launched a HFR (halogenated flame retardant)-Free Leadership Program.

Green Manufacturing Expo – Chicago in September - The Green Manufacturing Expo will be held on September 22-24 in Rosemont, Ill. The expo was created to provide a wide spectrum of economically sound solutions for the manufacturing enterprise interested in improving process efficiency, reducing costs, and conserving energy and resources.

Voids found in lead-free solder joints - According to an article in Electronics Weekly, a UK-based sister publication of Design News, a researcher at the UK’s University of Leicester has discovered detrimental voids in lead-free solder joints.

GreenSoft launches GreenData Manager - REACH workgroup - The workgroup edition was created to offer a complete compliance data management system for RoHS, REACH and REACH SVHC (substances of very high concern). The workgroup product was designed for multiple users nad tailored to medium-to-large enterprises.

An argument for leaded solder in servers - Here’s a pretty good argument for leaded solder. In a blog on ServerWatch, technology writer, Drew Robb, argues the merits of using leaded solder. Much of the electronics industry agrees, but the reality is lead-free has become the forced norm for most electronic products.

REACH hits the EU this month - As of June 1, 2009, all European Union suppliers are required to comply with a raft of substance restrictions under the REACH regulation.

House considers RoHS-like bill - The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a RoHS-like bill that would become part of the Toxic Substances Control Act. The Environmental Design of Electrical Equipment is more limited than RoHS, according to Gary Nevison of Farnell, a London-based components distributor.

Lasky: Lead-free is plenty reliable - With more than two years into the lead-free conversion, it’s become clear lead-free components are reliable. According to Dr. Ronald Lasky, senior technologist with Indium and a professor at Dartmouth University says the surprise of RoHS is that reliability has not been an issue.

Tin, silver, copper becomes standard for RoHS solder - According to an article by Mitch Holtzer of Cookson Electronics that appeared in SMT Online, tin/silver/copper (SAC) alloys have become the industry standard lead-free solders since RoHS went into effect.

How will RoHS changes affect medical equipment? - New RoHS changes will impact medical devices. Many of the exemptions that kept RoHS from restricting medical devices will be lifted. Fred Loneker, a senior manager with Environ International Corp.

Engineers need to track RoHS changes - The European Commission is about to drop six exemptions from the RoHS directive. While a move of this order was expected, it still shows that design engineers need to be cognizant of changes in environmental regulations. the components they chose yesterday may not be compliant today.

Six RoHS exemptions cut - In the latest round of RoHS changes, six exemptions will be retired from the directive’s list of 29 exemptions. In an article in EDN, a Design News sister site, Gary Nevison of Newark and Farnell explains which six exemptions will expire over the next two years.

The impact of environmental regulations on electronics manufacturers - Here’s an in-depth paper that covers the Impact of Environmental Regulations on Electronic Manufacturers. Michael Kirschner, president of Design Chain Associates, a firm the helps companies comply with regulations, authored the paper for the December 2008 Conference on Resource Recycling.

SaaS eco-software for REACH and RoHS - Green EcoSystems Group of Colorado Springs, Colo. has introduced Green -EcoSystems software-as-a-service designed to help manufacturing companies address requirements related to the REACH directive. The tool also supports RoHS compliance.

Selecting the right lead-free connector design - RoHS laws have affected manufacturing processes as well as changing the nature of electronic components. The article, “Designing for RoHS: Select the right lead-free-connector design for heat-sensitive applications,” explores the RoHS-compliant alternatives for design engineers.

IT directors slow on WEEE uptake

17.11.2006 11:31 - Source: WEEE Directory

A quarter of IT directors are unaware of the impact that the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive will have on their business, while some have not even heard of it at all, according to research published last week.

Just 39 per cent of respondents to the survey conducted by eMedia for vendor World Data Products say they understand the directive and its implications – even though it comes into law on 1 January 2007 and must be complied with by July 2007.

But Simon Forge, analyst at IT management specialist Ptak Noel & Associates, says these figures seem optimistic.

‘I think that number sounds low. Most IT directors are faced with so much legislation they don’t realise which laws are important and which ones aren’t. But this is definitely a law they need to be aware of,’ he said.

Forge says businesses have a moral as well as legal obligation to comply with the directive.

‘It is rare that a law carries a moral aspect, but this one does. Not only are businesses going to be in trouble legally if they don’t do something about it, they are ignoring a moral onus,’ he said.

David Southern, head of IT and facilities at wildlife charity WWF, and signatory to the Computing Green Charter, believes that most IT directors have heard of WEEE but need educating about its impact.

‘Most IT directors in the non-government organisation sector are aware of the directive, but maybe not how it will affect them. Education could come in part from working more closely with suppliers,’ he said.

The survey found that 40 per cent of organisations now have a formal policy for reusing IT and networking equipment. A further 25 per cent are using refurbished equipment.

‘Buyers are waking up to the fact that they don’t need to purchase brand new equipment in every single instance,’ said Neil Vill, chief executive of World Data Products.

‘Manufacturers often push upgrades long before equipment has reached the end of its life, and in many cases long before the customer is ready to migrate.’

Original text is here