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RoHS legislation impact on the high end industry

Hi folks, due to RoHS restrictions in Europe all manufacturers of consumer electronics are now forced by gouvernment legislation to use leadfree solder. As you know leadfree solder has other properties than the conventional Pb/Sn solder. Would the use of this type of solder lead to compromized high end audio products? Would it slow down the measure of progress? Would it result in restricted longevity and dependability of products? Maybe some of the manufacturers of high end audio electronics could give their responses to this thread. Thank you in advance.

Chris
dazzdax
dazzdax OP
599 posts
 
Mr. Tennis: it's a difficult choice :)

Chris
nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
The legislation applies to all the electronic parts, not just the solder.

The 4 main negative issues with the lead-free solder are:
1. Precisly controlled (and higher) temperatures must be maintained for good joints.
2. It's brittle and joints can develop cracks.
3. Prone to growing "whiskers".
4. Makes equipment is more difficult to repair.

The EU is still allowing lead solder in critical applications such as aircraft and weapons electronics, because of reliability problems with the lead-free stuff so far.
larryi
4,051 posts
 
I was told by a small manufacturer that the biggest problem with lead-free solder is a quality control issue. It is hard to do a visual inspection and immediately see a cold solder joint.
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