Industry Response to RoHS

The electronics industry continues to respond to the pressures of environmental legislation. The use of Pb-free solder continues to rise, with current Pb-free levels projected to increase to 90% of all solder by 2011. This evolution is being driven by the transition to Pb-free assemblies in non-consumer markets, such as telecom, high-end servers, automotive and medical. For more information on preparing for this transition, please contact Randy Schueller, rschueller@dfrsolutions.com or Cheryl Tulkoff, ctulkoff@dfrsolutions.com.

What about China RoHS?

Last October, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released the Key Administrative Catalog for the Pollution Control of Electronic Information Products (Batch 1). This document, which identifies the specific products covered by China RoHS, is currently limited to phones and printers. Additional versions covering other equipment are expected. While some exemptions are allowed, the biggest concern is the requirement for testing at specified labs in China. For more information, please contact Randy Kong, rkong@dfrsolutions.com.

...and where will RoHS be Tomorrow?

As made clear in the IPC and our ruminations, the consumer industry is supportive of RoHS expansion. And the EU is willing to oblige. The rapporteur is now recommending that all electrical equipment be covered under RoHS and all brominated and chlorinated flame retardants be banned (see the full proposal and arguments.) Amendments are possible until end of February and an initial vote is not expected until late April, so stay tuned. For more information on RoHS, please contact Craig Hillman, chillman@dfrsolutions.com.

Where is RoHS Today...

The last half of 2009 was rife with predictions on the status of RoHS2, including the mysterious 11th Category, exemption recommendations, and DfR's own insight. However, all speculation ceased when the proposed RoHS2 was released. While a more complete list of changes is provided here, the biggest ones are:
• Medical and Monitoring / Control Equipment will be covered
• The list of banned substances has NOT changed
• Compliance to RoHS will now require the CE mark
• All lead (Pb) solder/plating exemptions remained, but will be phased out in four years

Counterfeit Prevention and Detection Techniques

Once a strategic approach is defined, the next step is to identify the appropriate mitigation techniques. While a good first step is to use authorized distributors, business situations sometimes prevent this. This white paper provides the framework for a viable testing program by identifying and detailing useful equipment and test methodologies. For more information, please contact Tom Johnston, tjohnston@dfrsolutions.com.

Counterfeits Continue to Proliferate

The occurrence of counterfeit parts has skyrocketed over the past several years as component life cycles have become shorter and RoHS and WEEE legislations have introduced additional opportunities for counterfeiting. While the introduction of these fakes into defense and aerospace programs is especially concerning, there is one piece of good news: Counterfeiters can get caught. For more information, please contact Nathan Blattau, nblattau@dfrsolutions.com

Design for Excellence Reliability Symposia - 3 Locations Announced

Design for Excellence
DfR Solutions, in association with Ops A La Carte, is holding a five-day professional development reliability symposia. Attendees will be able to select from a DfX track or an ALT/RCA track. This one-of-a-kind collaborative effort will provide designers, reliability personnel, and engineering management with tools on how to meet time-to-market deadlines and reduce warranty issues.

What You Will Learn
Attendees will develop an understanding of:

The drivers for incorporating DfX into the product development process
Best practices in regard to component selection, component placement, and layout
How these practices need to be adjusted for different manufacturing processes, suppliers, use environments, and reliability expectations
How to implement DfX as part of internal design reviews
How to meet time-to-market deadlines and reduce warranty issues
Who Should Attend
Directors of Engineering, Quality / Reliability Managers, Circuit and Layout Designers, Reliability personnel, Designers, etc.

Course Schedule
Track 1 - DfX
Day 1: Design for Reliability (DfR) by Dr. Craig Hillman and Mike Silverman
Day 2: Design for Environment (DfE) by Dr. Randy Schueller
Day 3: Design for Manufacturability (DfM) by Cheryl Tulkoff
Day 4: Design for Testability (DfT) by Vaughan Carlson
Day 5 (am): Software Design for Reliability by Bob Mueller
Day 5 (pm): Design for Warrranty by Bob Mueller
Track 2 - ALT/RCA
Day 1-2: Best Accelerated Life Tests by Mike Silverman
Day 3-4: Root Cause Analysis (RCA) by Dr. Craig Hillman and Greg Swartz
Day 5: Design for Mechanical Reliability by Dr. Kim Parnell
Registration Prices
Two day courses: $1195
One day courses: $695
Half-day courses: $395
Group Discount: Every 5th registrant from the same company registering together is FREE! Unemployed receive a 25% discount and full-time students receive a 50% discount.

When and Where
DfX West
April 19-23, 2010
Pruneyard Plaza Hotel, Campbell, California (tentative)
DfX South
May 17-21, 2010
University of Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama (tentative)
DfX East
October 11-15, 2010
Courtyard by Marriott, Greenbelt, Maryland (tentative)

For additional details and registration, please click here.