CircuiTree - September 2008 - (Page 41)

[ IPC Issues and Answers ] By Denny McGuirk The Fun Never Ends, Especially in the Summertime t was a busy summer, especially on the environmental front. In June, IPC hosted a meeting in Brussels to address industry concerns with the Öko-Institut report on the proposed expansion of RoHS substance restrictions. In addition to members of the European Commision and the RoHS Technical Advisory Committee from Brussels and the U.K., technical experts from across the electronics supply chain were present to provide scientiﬁc basis against some of the report’s suggested bans, such as Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), the ﬂame retardant used to protect more than 80 percent of printed boards; several phthalate plasticizers; and all organic compounds containing chlorine and bromine. As I write this column, IPC is working with meeting attendees to develop a supply chain white paper in response to the proposed restrictions. No sooner did the RoHS review meeting end then IPC held the ﬁrst meeting of the IPC REACH Supply Chain Task Force at its headquarters in Bannockburn, Ill. This group’s mission is to determine how REACH will impact each segment of the supply chain and establish a path forward on how IPC can best serve the industry. Representatives from the OEM, EMS, PCB, and supplier industries make up the task force. In July, IPC held a symposium on electronics and the environment—It’s Not Easy Being Green: New Laws, New Materials, and a New Way of Doing Business— which covered new regulations and new issues like REACH, EuP, sustainability, and halogen free. The two-day event in Cambridge, Mass., featured presentations by the U.S. EPA and some of the leading corporations in the electronics supply chain. To many attendees the symposium served as a wakeup call; we heard many comments from attendees who thought REACH would not impact their companies and/or were surprised to learn about the aggressive OEM timetables for halogen-free implementation. So what’s next? In September, IPC Mid- I west Conference & Exhibition will host a number of environmental sessions to help manufacturers prepare for regulatory compliance and aggressive OEM timetables. Half-day courses include REACH Basics and Strategies for Compliance and Business Risk Assessment and A Primer on Halogen-Free Electronics and Brominated Flame Retardants. The technical conference will offer a two-part session on REACH Compliance and the Global Supply Chain. Finally, there will be four standards development committee meetings that will address environmental issues: Process Chemical Declaration Task Group, Halogen-Free Materials Subcommittee, Halogen-Free Electronics Standard Task Group, and Materials Declaration Task Group. IPC Midwest will be held September 21 to 25, 2008, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg, Ill. In addition to the environmental health and safety topics, standards development meetings will cover many areas—base materials, cleaning and coating, data generation and standardization, documentation, embedded components, fabrication processes, design technology, product reliability, testing, and more. All attendees are welcome to join the discussions. Of particular interest to CircuiTree readers are the subcommittee that considers new information for inclusion in the speciﬁcation for base materials for rigid and multilayer printed boards, the UL/CSA Task Group that provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and data related to Underwriters Laboratories’ and Canadian Standards Association’s recognition of printed board materials and processes, or the Plating Processes Subcommittee that develops guidelines, test methods, and techniques for evaluating process control parameters on electrolytic and electroless/immersion plating. The professional development program will offer half-day courses on Advanced PWB Troubleshooting: Identiﬁcation, Analysis, and Prevention of Critical PWB Defects, DfM Issues for the Printed Board Designer, Fundamentals of Printed Circuit Board Fabrication, and many more. The technical conference offers a ﬁvesession track dedicated to issues faced by board fabricators. In addition, a very special business management session will bring together the technical expertise of an economist, a lawyer, and an accountant. This would normally be a great entrée to a classic joke, but I’ll pass on the opportunity, for now, to say that this session will take a serious focus on Avoiding Risk and Liabilities in the Global Marketplace: Customs and Trade Issues for the Electronic Interconnection Industry; How to Take Advantage of the R&D Tax Credit; and How to Use Statistical Data and Where to Find Relevant and Free Market Research. IPC Midwest will also feature a twoday exhibition, September 24 to 25, showcasing the latest products, processes, and innovations in our industry, from printed board design and manufacture to electronics assembly and test. More than 100 equipment, chemicals, materials, software, and services suppliers and solution providers to our industry will be on hand to help attendees resolve critical challenges and stimulate ideas for improving their companies’ efﬁciencies and bottom lines. Helping us close out the summer and open up IPC Midwest will be keynote speaker Derek Daly, who will unveil the Secrets of the Future of IndyCars: Where Electronics Will Be the Winning Edge. See, the fun never ends…. ■ Dennis P. McGuirk is the President of IPC— Association Connecting Electronics Industries. He can be reached by phone at 847-790-5341 or by email to mcgude@ipc.org. For more information, visit www.ipc.org. For more information on IPC Midwest Conference & Exhibition or to register, visit www.IPCMidwestShow.org. circuitree.com • September 2008 41 http://www.ipc.org http://www.IPCMidwestShow.org http://circuitree.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CircuiTree - September 2008

CircuiTree - September 2008 Contents My Line Industry Review Tech Talk Flexible Thinking New Halogen-Free Materials: Their Time Has Finally Arrived Asian Section IPC Issues PCB and Package Convergence Ask the Flexperts Market Outlook IPCA Showcase Technical Product Spotlights Classified Ads Upcoming Events Ad Index

CircuiTree - September 2008

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