Lead free PCB Assembly Service QFPCB
At QFPCB, we pride ourselves on being a manufacturer of lead free PCB assembly, offering environmentally friendly and RoHS compliant PCB fabrication and assembly services. With years of expertise, we’ve perfected the art of lead free manufacturing to ensure high quality, reliable, and cost effective products.
Our meticulous lead free assembly process employs cutting edge equipment and techniques. We use rigorously tested, high performance lead free solder pastes and materials that meet stringent standards. By eliminating hazardous lead, we contribute to a cleaner future while complying with environmental regulations.
Lead Free PCB Assembly
As printed circuit boards (PCBs) are primary unit in virtually all electronics systems, the RoHS directive applied directly manufacturing is circuit board assembly, where RoHS compliance means replacing traditional lead based solder with a lead free alternative. But what does this mean for your PCB circuit board development? Before addressing this question, let’s take a look at both leaded and lead free printed circuit board assembly. Then, you will be better prepared to decide whether you should use lead free PCB assembly.
Leaded vs. Lead Free Circuit Board Assembly
During the assembly of your circuit boards, the components, either SMT or thru-hole, are attached through a soldering process. For decades, most solder used for PCB assembly (PCBA) has be a tin-lead (Sn-Pb) alloy. Popular tin to lead ratios are 60/40 and 63/37, which have melting point temperatures of 188°C and 183°C, respectively. During reflow soldering, which is the preferred method for attaching SMD packages, temperatures up to 235°C may be reached as solder changes to a liquid form prior to cooling down.
Temperatures for lead free PCBA are typically higher than for Sn-Pb solder. For example, the melting point temperature for tin silver (Sn-Ag) is 220°C for 96.5/3.5 and 240°C for 95/5, respectively. Reflow oven temperatures may peak at 250°C. These higher temperatures have implications for circuit board construction and component selection. If you select circuit board materials with a decomposition temperature that is too low, you may cause irreversible damage after exposing them to the elevated temperatures involved in lead free PCB assembly. You must also take care when choosing components to ensure that you avoid any damage, especially during reflow, where high temperatures remain on the circuit board for extended periods of time.
From a PCB manufacturing perspective, the major concern for lead free circuit board assembly is PCB damage due to higher temperatures. Rework is also more difficult. Materials are another consideration as substrates and laminates must be selected based upon their temperature attributes. Before prematurely deciding that opting for lead free circuit board is not justifiable, however, let’s explore other reasons for making the change.
When Should We Use Lead free PCB Assembly?
Lead free PCB assembly is used in RoHS compliant electronic products. Lead free PCB assembly has become an irreversible trend in the PCB assembly industry. With the gradual improvement of international environmental protection requirements, the lead free PCB assembly process has become inevitable in the development and production of the electronics industry. So, generally speaking, most electronic products use lead free PCB assembly, and more and more manufacturers will adopt it as a common practice. Lead free PCB assembly manufacturers are subject to RoHS standards. Manufacturing RoHs compliant PCB assembly means replacing traditional lead based solders with lead free alternatives.
Although companies have implemented the lead free PCB assembly process for many years, some still use the leaded process because of its excellent solderability. However, the lead free PCB assembly process will gain more and more worldwide usage because it is environmentally friendly. So should we use leaded or lead free PCB assembly in our devices? If you encounter the following situations, you may benefit from using lead free PCB assembly.
You Should Use Lead Free Circuit Board If…
If any entry in the list below describes your situation, you will likely benefit from using lead free PCB assembly.
- Countries that have regulatory requirements, such as those in the EU, may regulate where you sell your products.
- Your state or local government mandates a lead free circuit board and assembly manufacturing process, such as in California.
- The electronics manufacturing for your circuit boards requires that you meet regulatory standards, such as IBM and Hewlett Packard.
- You are concerns about the health risks for those who work with and use lead based products.
- You understand the breakthroughs in smaller PCB fabrication that lead free PCB assembly has made possible and want to promote the continued advancement in this area.
- You recognize the thrust for green electronic manufacturing and want to attract customers that place a high premium on these issues.
To ensure that your circuit boards meet RoHS requirements, you must actively verify that the contract manufacturer (CM) you select has defined a complete lead free process. This process must include soldering, materials, components, solder mask, and surface finish. Lead free circuit board Assembly is rapidly becoming the standard for PCB fabrication. This is due to regulatory requirements, environmental concerns, and other reasons.
QFPCB is recognized as a professional and reliable electronics contract manufacturing (ECM) provider for fast, high quality PCB prototyping and low to high volume PCB and assembly production. We utilize advanced equipment and a software based process to manufacture circuit boards that meet your regulatory requirements. And our range of PCB capabilities and PCB assembly capabilities allow us to ensure that your PCB design objectives intent are satisfied, while providing you with the best manufacturing experience.
How to Distinguish Lead Free PCB Assembly and Leaded PCB Assembly?
How to judge whether a print circuit board is lead free or not when we get a PCB? Since lots of customers need RoHS compliant PCB assembly. Concerning this question, let’s discuss it from the following several aspects.
Appearance Difference
For experienced workers, it is easy to distinguish the PCBs soldered by lead free solder or leaded solder. Because the color of the solder joint is different: the color of the leaded solder appears bright white, but the color of the lead free solder looks darker and a little yellow.
Composition Difference
Leaded solder contains 70% of tin and 30% of lead normally. But lead free solder normally contains 96% of tin, 3% of silver, 0.5% of copper, and a little very low percentage of other elements.
Usage Difference
We only use leaded solder in products where regulations explicitly allow lead. In contrast, we can apply lead free solder for lead free PCB assembly to the majority of electronic products. Manufacturers choose lead free solder because it meets the requirements of both the RoHS directive and the REACH regulation. Consequently, we can legally export products assembled with lead free solder to major markets such as Europe and the United States.
We reserve leaded solder solely for specific, exempted applications, including certain medical devices, aerospace systems, and industrial controls. For all other electronic products, we actively use lead free solder to ensure environmental safety and regulatory compliance. Lead free solder eliminates the risks associated with lead contamination and simplifies global trade. By adopting lead free alternatives, we avoid complex documentation and legal restrictions when shipping to Europe and America. Thus, we limit leaded solder to niche, permitted uses while we widely deploy lead free solder for most electronics. This approach guarantees compliance, protects the environment, and enables smooth exports to regulated regions.
With the introduction of the above aspects, you will quickly identify whether it is a lead free PCB or not when you get a PCB.