RoHS could crimp connector supply
Staff -- Purchasing, 3/30/2006 7:00:00 AM
Connector manufacturers say the upcoming European ban on the use of lead and five other substances in electronics could create supply problems for connectors later in the year. There could be problems because the rate at which customers will transition their products over to versions that comply with the Restriction on the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive in unknown, says Jeff Brown, product director for coax RF connectors and board-to-board connectors, at Tyco Electronics, communications, computer & consumer electronics business unit in Harrisburg, Pa.
Connector manufacturers say one of the biggest challenges is fielding requests for RoHS and bill-of-substance reporting. There are also the challenges of managing the plating processes for both tin and tin/lead, and getting the supply base in line with RoHS. The challenge is managing this load shift and transitioning the plating capacity over to satisfy the market, Brown adds. ''What we've seen is a real sporadic changeover by customers. European customers started as far back as 18 months ago. Some customers in Asia are just starting to shift, and customers in the Americas are taking a longer time to make the transition,'' he says. Exemptions are also causing headaches. Although compliant-pin or press-fit connectors are exempt under the RoHS directive, some customers still want RoHS-compliant versions because they expect that these connectors will eventually have to be compliant. This requires suppliers to manufacture both non-compliant and RoHS-compliant part numbers. There also have been some technical challenges in converting legacy military connectors
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