Engineers gathered at EMC Corporation in Hopkinton, MA, for a meeting of the Northeast Product Safety Society. The meeting was a joint gathering of the IEEE EMC Society, with speakers from each group. A presentation on the costs and risks of compliance to the Restriction of Hazardous Substance (RoHS) directive issued by the European Union was given. As of July 1, 2006, electronic products sold into the EU must be free of lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), hexavalent chromium (CR+6), and other hazardous materials. Problems associated with replacing the widely used 63%-37% tin-lead (Sn-Pb) solder with a material that contains no lead were discussed. The most promising replacement, tin-silver-copper (Sn-Ag-Cu) requires higher reflow temperatures that Sn-Pb solder. In fact Sn-Ag-Cu solder melts at 34°C higher than SN-Pb solder. It also requires longer reflow times at temperatures 25°C higher for 35 s (vs. 10 s) needed for Sn-Pb. Source: Test & Measurement World