These two acronyms may seem new to many of you, but they have actually been around for several years.  They stem from two European Union directives that address the use of hazardous and toxic substances in electronic products and the ultimate disposal of those products.  Something we all should embrace.

As you transition your operations to produce products compliant with the RoHS & WEEE directives, Northern Circuits stands ready to help.  We can manufacture your printed circuits using base materials and surface finishes necessary for compliance with these directives.

Most of the questions we have received from our customers concerning RoHS & WEEE are about solder alloy and surface finishes.  While these are important questions, laminate selection should not be overlooked. Standard FR-4 with a glass transition temperature of 140 deg. F just isn't designed for lead free soldering.  Neither are many of the high temperature laminates.  When purchasing circuit boards that will be subjected to lead free soldering you should specify that the base material be: "Lead free soldering compatible".

Northern Circuits now has both "Lead free soldering compatible" and "Halogen free, lead free soldering compatible" laminates available.  Be sure to specify your requirement when ordering or requesting a quotation.

Roger H. Hamm

President

Northern Circuits, Inc.

(315) 463-8531 or toll free (800) 378-0490