RoHS Compliant Circuit Boards

Our Commitment to Environmental Responsibility

Epec is a leader in Printed Circuit Board solutions and is committed to taking an active role in working closely with our customers and suppliers to identify and rapidly eliminate hazardous substances from their products. As an ISO 9001:2015 registered company, Epec is fully supportive of electronics industry efforts throughout the world to phase out the use of lead and other undesirable elements.

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Lead Free & RoHS Compliant Initiative

Epec is a leader in providing an extensive array of lead free printed circuit board solutions. Epec's lead free products are fully RoHS compliant.

RoHS Restricted Materials

Banned Substance	RoHS LIMIT: MCV* PPM
Lead (Pb)	1000
Mercury (Hg)	1000
Cadmium (Cd)	100
Hexavalent Chromium (Cr+6)	1000
Polybrominated Biphenyl (PBB)	1000
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE)	1000
Bis(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP)	1000
Butyl Benzyl Phthalate (BBP)	1000
Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)	1000
Diisobutyl Phthalate (DIBP)	1000

* MCV - Maximum concentration values allowed in homogeneous materials

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Halogen Free Materials

What are Halogen-free requirements?

• Bromine must be below 900 PPM by weight
• Chlorine must be below 900 PPM by weight
• Combined Bromine + Chlorine must be below 1200 PPM by weight

Laminate

• The TBPPA based fire retardant material must be replaced
• We do offer Halogen-free materials

Soldermask

• Most soldermasks contain chlorine
• We do have a limited offering of halogen-free masks

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RoHS Compliant Material Identification and Packaging

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IPC-1752 RoHS Materials Declaration Standard

Compliance requires that Epec and our suppliers understand the material composition of our products—from FR4 laminate, solder mask, silkscreen, and plating, to surface finish and finished boards. We will provide you with technical documentation and supplier declarations to support your "due diligence." You are expected to provide this documentation upon request of EU regulators.

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RoHS Compliant Surface Finish Options

Epec has qualified a wide variety of RoHS compliant surface finish alternatives.

These qualified finishes include:

Surface Finishes	Shelf Life	Coplanarity	Multiple Rework
ENIG	12+ Months	Yes	Yes
Immersion Silver	*6-9 Months	Yes	Limited
Lead Free HASL	12 Months	Moderate	Yes
OSP	6-12 Months	Yes	No
Immersion Tin	3 Months	Yes	Limited

*With proper packaging and storage conditions

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Higher Lead-free Assembly Temperature

• Low thermal mass assembly reflow @ 240 –245C
• Higher thermal mass assembly reflow @ 260C
• Lead-free PCB temperature is 30C higher than SnPb process
• Up to 6 soldering/rework cycles may be required

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Pb-Free Compatible FR4 Materials

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Lead Free Process Compatible Material Solutions

The assembly of lead free products requires the use of material that will not break down at higher processing temperatures. To better facilitate the industry transition to lead free PCBs, Epec offers the following broad assortment of standard, off-the-shelf, lead free FR4 substrates:

RoHS Capable Substrate Materials

Product	Resin Matrix	Td, °C	Tg, °C	T-288 Minutes	CTE Z-Axis	Dk @ 2GHz	Df @ 2GHz
Standard Electrical Performance
Isola IS410	Phenolic epoxy	350	180	>15	3.50%	4.2-4.7	.018-.021
Iteq IT-180TC	Phenolic epoxy	385	180	>10	3.00%	4.2-4.7	.018-.021
Polyclad 370HR	Phenolic epoxy	350	180	pass	2.70%	4.4-4.7	.018-.021
High Electrical Performance (Low Loss)
Isola FR415	Non-phenolic/non-dicey	370	190	>20	2.90%	3.80-3.90	.016-.017
Isola FR408	Modified epoxy	360	180	>15	3.50%	3.55-3.6	.011-.0125
Polyclad Getek	Polyphenylene oxide	345	175	pass	3.80%	3.5-3.7	.009-.011
High Electrical Performance (Ultra Low Loss)
Rogers RO4350	Hydrocarbon ceramic	395	300	>180	<3.0	3.48	0.004
Isola IS620	Low Dk/Df	353	215	>15	2.80%	3.55-3.6	0.008
Polyclad 621	Polyphenylene ether	400	210	pass	3.00%	3.3-3.55	.0045-.007
Nelco-13SI	Enhanced epoxy	365	210	pass	3.50%	3.3-3.4	.007-.008

*With proper packaging and storage conditions. The principle performance criteria for lead free processing capability is Td (decomposition temperature) >340°C.

For additional information visit Epec's PCB RoHS FAQ page or see blog post titled RoHS and Circuit Board Laminates - Not Just Tg Anymore for more information.

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Go Green Without Compromising Quality

Choose Epec's RoHS Compliant PCBs. Validate your commitment to environmental responsibility now!

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