NEWS FROM IPC. Conflict Minerals Legislation Moving Forward in the EU

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1 May 2015 NEWS FROM IPC Conflict Minerals Legislation Moving Forward in the EU by Fern Abrams Last week, I attended the ICGLR OECD UN Group of Experts Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains. The meeting, which was held two weeks in advance of the European Union (EU) Parliament Plenary vote on conflict minerals legislation, provided a glimpse into the future of conflict minerals legislative and market requirements for manufacturers. High level updates from the UN Group of Experts on the DRC & International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Secretariat made clear that while some progress has been made in reducing the link between tin, tantalum and tungsten with violence, gold smuggling continues to provide significant funding to armed violence. Additionally, those perpetrating violence have turned to the exploitation of other natural resources including palm oil and illegal wildlife trade. Additional presentations at the OECD meeting on Columbia, the Cote d Ivoire (Ivory Coast), and China clearly indicate that the OECD and the EU will continue to move forward with a global focus. Despite the mixed record of conflict minerals action, the EU is plunging ahead with regulations. Ms. Signe Ratso, EC Directorate General of Trade, defended the Commission proposal for voluntary action. But, several non governmental organizations (NGOs) spoke of the need for mandatory controls for the entire supply chain. Judith Sargenti, a member of the European Parliament, spoke of her intention to offer amendments during the European Parliament (EP) plenary debate and vote on May 18 and 19, On May 8, IPC joined other leading European trade associations in issuing a joint statement encouraging the Members of the European Parliament to adopt the report, as voted on by the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament (INTA) on April 14, without

2 additional modification. The INTA report would make mandatory the proposed voluntary system of certification for EU smelters and refiners and would exempt recycled metals. By a close vote, the committee rejected amendments seeking to extend this mandatory scheme to those who purchase minerals for the production of goods such as mobile phones and other electronics. Although IPC is concerned about endorsing any mandatory measures, we feel that the legislation adopted by the committee report is a reasonable compromise. IPC Standards Committee Reports Base Materials, Fabrication, Assembly and Joining, Flexible Circuits by IPC These standards committee reports from IPC APEX EXPO 2015 have been compiled to help keep you up to date on IPC standards committee activities. This is the second in a series of reports. Base Materials The 3 11 Laminate/Prepreg Materials Subcommittee successfully examined both Amendments 1 and 2 to the IPC 4101D, Specification for Base Materials for Rigid and Multilayer Printed Boards. Amendment 1 concentrates on handling sections of IPC 4101D that do not cover the use of inorganic fillers in legacy designs, as well as other changes in the D revision. Amendment 1 is moving through its final draft for comments and will shortly move to the ballot stage. Amendment 2 addresses the needs for reduced contamination levels as desired by the European Space agency, and is in queue to be worked upon behind the efforts with Amendment 1. The 3 11f UL/CSA Task Group discussed rigid and multilayer materials and printed boards. Specifically, the group addressed the addition of what will be designated as FR 15.0 and FR 15.1 ANSI grade laminates that will not have to be LTTA tested and will meet a 150 O C RTI. These laminates initially started out as more typical FR 4 grades that meet a 130 O C RTI, but were found to meet the 150 O C limit. The 3 11g Corrosion of Metal Finishes Task Group discussed metal finish corrosion on component leads and printed board surface finishes. The Flowers of Sulfur (FoS) corrosion test method for surface mounted chip resistors will be used for testing some The group is focusing its attention

3 on expanding the document to include more recent technology for flipchip application, current trends in terminal designs for higher density flip chips and modifying substrate and interposer terms to reflect current trends. The 5 21k IPC SM 817 SMT Adhesive Task Group re formed and opened IPC SM 817, General Requirements for Dielectric Surface Mounting Adhesives, for revision A. This task group will be modify the standard accordingly in the coming months. The 5 22a J STD 001 Task Group reviewed more than 80 open action items and comments on IPC J STD 001F, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies. This task group met a second day to resolve comments on criteria common to both IPC J STD 001 and IPC A 610, Acceptability for Electronic Assemblies. IPC staff is now preparing J STD 001 revision F for ballot. The 5 22arr J STD 001/Conformal Coating Material & Application Industry Assessment Task Group discussed the current status of round robin testing and made a number of revisions to measurement protocols. There were three J STD 001 related committee meetings. The 5 22as Space Electronic Assemblies Task Group continued work on the addendum used for electronic assemblies that need to operate in microgravity, micro atmosphere environments with extreme temperature excursions and very high mechanical shock and vibration during launch. The 5 22f IPC HDKB 001 Task Group had an initial meeting to develop a roadmap to update the handbook to incorporate Revision F changes. In addition, the 5 22bt J STD 001 Technical Training Committee met to share ideas for improvements to the training program for Revision F. This committee also reviewed the new IPC Certification Quality Initiative, which provides uniquely scrambled exams and electronic training reporting. The 5 22h Thermal Profiling Guide Task Group held its first meeting and focused on revision A of IPC 7530, Guidelines for Temperature Profiling for Mass Soldering (Reflow & Wave) Processes. The group discussed missing definitions and modification of what thermal profiles should be covered, including special applications of laser, inductive soldering, hot

4 bar, and hot belt. The group also discussed development guidelines, calibration, process control, and process guidelines. The 5 23a Printed Circuit Board Solderability Specifications Task Group completed work on IPC J STD 003C, Solderability Tests for Printed Boards. This group is discussing a replacement for the solder float test which has been proven to be unreliable. An amendment with typographical corrections and some clarifications will be published in later this month. The 3 12a Metallic Foil Task Group addressed the non contact surface roughness test (proposed TM ). The task group saw the Gauge R&R evaluation results from the six test sites. While not perfect results, adequate Gauge R&R was realized (<20) to push the test method ahead. The 3 12d Woven Glass Reinforcement Task Group completed a first round of testing for fabric weave closer to quantify what is currently termed spread glass. The first results need improvement and will be pursued with another round robin of testing on a single woven style. Additionally, another 3 weaves are proposed for addition to the IPC 4412B using the balloting procedure for amendments. Fabrication Processes The 4 14 Plating Processes Subcommittee reviewed revision A efforts underway on IPC 4552, Specification for Electroless Nickel/Immersion Gold (ENIG) Plating for Printed Circuit Boards, primarily for those meeting attendees who have not participated in regular teleconferences. The group also reviewed work that has occurred on an amendment 1 to IPC 4556, Specification for Electroless Nickel/Electroless Palladium/Immersion Gold (ENEPIG) Plating for Printed Circuit Boards. Assembly and Joining The 5 11c Electronic Assembly Adhesives Task Group is resolving comments from the final draft for industry review distribution of IPC HDBK 4691, Handbook on Adhesive Bonding of Electronic Assembly Operations. The group plans to distribute the handbook for final ballot in summer and publish by fall The 1 13 Land Pattern Subcommittee and 5 21a IPC 7070 Task Group met jointly to consider component mounting issues being addressed in two IPC standards: IPC 7070, Component Mounting: Issues and

5 Recommendations and IPC 7351, Generic Requirements for Surface Mount Design and Land Pattern Standard. IPC 7070 will address component placement issues, while IPC 7351 will address board design, land pattern and through hole pad issues. Since the board actions in IPC 7351 combine the existing standard with a proposed through hole standard (IPC 7251), the committee decided to circulate a survey to ensure that all previously involved committee members are informed of these potential actions. The 5 21g Flip Chip Mounting Task Group continued its work on revision A to IPC 7094, Design and Assembly Process Implementation for Flip Chip and Die Size Components. The 5 24b Solder Paste Task Group began review of all test methods originating with the group. The 5 24c Solder Alloy Task Group discussed how to properly incorporate two new alloy families into the Appendix tables A 1, A 4 and A 5 in the J STD 006C by an Amendment Ballot process. The decision is to not use trade names or company names in the standard, but to use site IP information, patent number, when such was awarded, and the alloy composition. Flexible Circuits The D 11 Flexible Circuits Design Subcommittee met to advance the Working Draft to IPC 2223D, Sectional Design Standard for Flexible Printed Boards. The group reviewed a proposal for a new section that addresses a new cover material used as a bonding agent in rigid flex designs, which would allow for the elimination of the window cut out of covers in the rigid area. The group also reviewed a proposal to address electroless flexible nickel plating for ENIG applications in flexible printed boards, however the current proposal has not yet been accepted due to concerns expressed by the group over the level of reliability testing that has been performed to date on the material. The D 12 Flexible Circuits Performance Subcommittee met to advance the Working Draft to IPC 6013D, Qualification and Performance Specification for Flexible Printed Boards. Edits were made to text and the supporting illustration Figure 3 15 for the definition of thermal zones in microsection evaluations. The group also reviewed a cross sectional

6 illustrated drafted by Michael Collier of Teradyne that addresses voiding or delamination in the transition zone between flexible material and rigid material. There is a lack of a corresponding microsection inspection/test for this type of anomaly, and so the group will reconvene via teleconference in early summer 2015 to draft a Destructive Physical Evaluation (DPA) section for IPC 6013D when there is a suspicion of this type of anomaly. The D 13 Flexible Circuits Base Materials Subcommittee discussed new a modified requirement for propagation tear strength for a polyimide film that would be a slightly lower value for 50 to 100 micron thick material. This will be covered by an Amendment 2 to IPC 4202A. The D 15 Flexible Circuits Test Methods Subcommittee worked on the TM (Insulation and Moisture Resistance, Flexible Base Dielectric) to what was believed to be a draft of the C revision of the TM. However, after the meeting at the 2015 IPC APEX EXPO, the group has discovered a major flaw in the method as developed and continues its work on revising this test method. Ends. WECC News from members is always welcome. Please send it to John Ling johnh@grantlings.com