By STEVE KARSJEN
"Get the lead out!" Who among us hasn't been on the receiving end of that utterance once or twice in our lifetime. Whether we heard it from a coach, a teacher or our parents who just wanted us to get started on our weekend chores, the command to "get the lead out" is something with which we can all identify.
Metallurgist Iver Anderson also knows what it means to get the lead out, although his interpretation is slightly different. Anderson is removing the lead from solder used for joining processes on parts in the electronics and manufacturing industries.
The lead-free solder alloy developed by Anderson and a team of collaborators at Ames Lab and Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico consists of tin, silver and copper, the current industry norm, in many situations.
The significance of the new lead-free solder to industry was recently underscored by the signing of a licensing agreement with Multicore Solders, a European-based company with a major manufacturing plant in Richardson, Texas. A world leader in the development and manufacture of solder paste, wire and bars, Multicore's main customers are in the electronics industry, which uses solder to make critical connections on circuit boards in products such as cellular phones, televisions, VCRs and calculators. Multicore also provides solder to the automotive industry for use on electronic circuit boards for sensors and engine control computers, for example.
"Multicore's strong technology base and marketing reach are the exciting things about this licensing agreement," says Anderson. "The company has amazing access to the electronics solder market, which is a booming market at this time." Estimates on the amount of solder sold each year around the world vary, but it's safe to say it's in the millions of pounds. Of that amount, about a half-million pounds are sold to the electronics industry. "Multicore is one of the three largest marketers of solder in the world, and they want to push worldwide acceptance of lead-free solder," says a pleased Anderson.
Efforts to develop a lead-free solder came about partially in response to the growing international trend to discontinue the use of lead-based solder. Electronic circuit boards with lead-based solders are discarded in landfills, which poses a potential threat to groundwater and, as a result, human health.
Eliminating an environmental hazard is only one advantage, says Anderson. The ingredients in the new lead-free solder are also widely available; the solder is easy to use, is stronger, and stands up better in high-heat conditions, such as those found under the hoods of automobiles. "It simply has better mechanical properties than tin-lead solder, which makes it a more reliable solder for manufacturers, particularly automobile manufacturers," he concludes. Anderson is also working with Ford and General Motors in an industry/laboratory/university consortium organized by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences to identify high-temperature solders for applications in automobile circuitry.
Anderson's strong connection to the automotive industry through this consortium and projects with the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles is an added bonus of the licensing agreement for Multicore Solders since the company already sells solder to the automobile industry and recognizes the potential for additional marketing opportunities. "We're very impressed with Ames Lab's initiative in developing lead-free solder," says Gordon Arbib, chief executive of Multicore Solders. "We look forward to the opportunity of introducing it through our worldwide manufacturing and sales organization."
The agreement with Multicore Solders is the second license to be signed for Ames Lab's lead-free solder. The first agreement was signed in May 1995 with Johnson Manufacturing of Princeton, Iowa. Johnson produces solder wire and ingots for industrial applications. "We have several customers who use the Ames Lab lead-free solder," says Alan Gickler, president of Johnson Manufacturing, "and they're happy with the results." Some of the company's customers include a plumbing-assembly manufacturer, a musical-instrument maker, and a company that manufactures small machines that allow beekeepers to make their own honeycombs. Other industrial uses of lead-free solder are found in compressor, heat exchanger and radiator manufacturing. "Some of our customers use lead-free solder now because it's stronger and more fatigue resistant, but I see great potential for increased sales should Congress ever ban the use of lead-based solders," Gickler adds.
With Johnson Manufacturing servicing industrial needs and Multicore Solders marketing to the electronics industry, Anderson feels customers will have unlimited access to lead-free solder at any time. "In industry it's critical that there be more than one source for a product," says Anderson. "I feel this latest agreement helps form a strategic alliance critical to addressing the needs of industry."
While some scientists might be content to revel in their success, Anderson is anxious to continue improving the strength and reliability of lead-free solder, especially at high temperatures. Recently, he added a fourth alloying element to his patented tin-silver-copper mix that has produced impressive results for further improving solder strength at room temperature. This new version of the Ames Lab lead-free solder is in the process of being patented.
At the same time as he's awaiting word on the new patent, Anderson and his team continue studying the fundamental properties of the new solder alloy. He's also busy making plans to meet with a principal scientist from Multicore to discuss future research strategies as well as opportunities for collaborative research. "Multicore attaches utmost importance to the continuation of our research," says Anderson. "We're all striving to reach the full spectrum of possible applications for this 'family' of lead-free solders."
Published: January 1998
Related material:
Ames Laboratory signs
international agreement on lead-free solder
Last revision: 4/17/98 sd
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