United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Pollution Prevention
and Toxics
(7406)
EPA744-F-99-006
December A999
www.epa.gov/dfe
vvEPA
Design for the Environment
Printed Wiring Board Project
U.S.EPA
What Is the Design for the
Environment Program?
EPA's Design for the Environment
(DfE) Program is a voluntary initia-
tive that forms partnerships with
a variety of stakeholder groups in
an effort to:
• Encourage businesses to incor-
porate environmental concerns,
in addition to the traditional cri-
teria of cost and performance,
into their decisions.
• Effect behavior change to facili-
tate continuous environmental
improvement.
To accomplish these goals, the
program uses EPA's expertise and
leadership to evaluate the human
health and environmental risks,
performance, and cost of tradi-
tional and alternative
technologies, materials, and
processes. DfE disseminates infor-
mation on its work to all
interested parties and helps busi-
nesses implement cleaner
technologies identified through the
program.
The program has formed coopera-
tive partnerships with the
following industries:
• Printed wiring board
• Computer display
• Printing
• Garment and textile care
• Auto refinishing
• Industrial/institutional laundry .
Making the Connection
Why Is EPA
Working With the
PWB Industry?
Printed wiring boards (PWBs), the
underlying link between semicon-
ductors, computer' chips, and other
electronic components, are an irre-
placeable part of many high-tech
products in the electronics, defense, communications, and automotive indus-
tries. The wet chemical processes used in PWB manufacturing, however,
generate a significant amount of hazardous waste, require a substantial
amount of water and energy, and use chemicals that pose potential environ-
mental and health risks. In addition, the most commonly used PWB finishing
technologies, hot air solder leveling (HASL) and electroplated tin-lead, pose
potential health and environmental risks due to their use of lead. These
processes also generate quantities of excess solder that must be recycled.
The industry is committed to making pollution prevention a priority; how-
ever, many PWB manufacturers are small- to medium-sized businesses that
cannot afford to develop independently the data needed to redesign their
processes. EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) Program entered into a
voluntary partnership with the PWB industry and other interested parties to
facilitate the evaluation and implementation of alternative technologies that
reduce health and environmental risks and production costs.
What Are the
Project's Goals?
The DfE PWB Project encourages companies to imple-
ment technologies that will improve their
environmental performance and competitiveness. The
project team, in close cooperation with IPC, the
national PWB trade association, is developing and analyzing technical infor-
mation on pollution prevention technologies that reduce human and
environmental risks, hazardous waste generation, compliance costs, and
chemical and natural resource use.
PWB Project work is focused in three main areas: gather-
ing, generating, and analyzing technical data,-
communicating project and technical information,- and
promoting the implementation of cleaner technologies
through education and technical assistance.
What Work Is
Being
Conducted?
Technical Studies
In 1995, the DfE PWB Project Technical Workgroup chose one major step in
PWB manufacturing—making drilled through-holes conductive (MHC)—for
detailed analysis in a Cleaner Technologies Substitutes Assessment (CTSA).
A CTSA is a comprehensive analytical tool used to evaluate health and
environmental risks, performance, and costs of alternative materials,
processes, and technologies. The draft MHC CTSA was completed in 1997,
and the final CTSA was published in 1998 (see bottom of back page to
order).
As part of the MHC CTSA, seven MHC technologies (including nonconvey-
orized electroless copper and six direct metallization technologies) were
tested for performance characteristics in real-world settings. EPA recruited
7TT\ Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.
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26 facilities in the United States and Europe for testing
Eurposes. Each company processed three standard
cards through its MHC process line. The boards were
then sent to.one site to complete the final manufactur-
ing""steps and were tested for electrical and mechanical
reliability.
The results indicated that when implemented correctly
the alternative technologies perform as well or better
than the nonconveyorized electroless copper. The alter-
native technologies also are more economical and use
less energy and water. Risk characterization studies con-
ducted as part of the CTSA suggest that the alternative
technologies also pose lower occupational risk. Risks
could not be assessed for all of the chemicals used in
each MHC technology, however, because some suppliers
wbpd not provide proprietary formulation data.
In 1997, the project team began a second CTSA to eval-
uate lead-free alternatives to the most commonly used
sftrface finishing technologies: HASL and electroplated
tin-lead. Using HASL as the baseline technology, the
second CTSA is evaluating the performance, risk, and
cost of HASL and several other technologies, including
organic solder protectorates, immersion silver, immer-
sion tin, electroless nickel/immersion gold, and
electroless nickel/electroless palladium/immersion
gold.
To gauge performance, the alternative surface finishes
were applied to test boards containing a variety of cir-
cuitry. Next, the board circuit performance was
assessed under applicable environmental stresses. The
boards also were evaluated through a series of reliabili-
ty tests including thermal shock, mechanical shock,
and vibration. EPA expects that the study results
(scheduled for release in mid-2000) will generate inter-
est in the implementation of cleaner, cost-effective
surface finish technologies by PWB manufacturers.
In addition to the CTSA work, industry partners have
conducted a survey to obtain information about the use
of pollution prevention technologies in the PWB indus-
try (Printed Wiring Board Pollution Prevention and
Control; Analysis of Updated Survey Results, EPA744-
R-98-003). The report contains data on waste and
chemical use reduction achieved through implement-
ing these technologies. The project team has also
compiled information on PWB markets, products, tech-
nology trends, and current manufacturing methods
(Printed Wiring Board Industry and Use Cluster
Profile, EPA744-R-95-005) as well as information on
federal environmental regulations pertaining to the
electronics industry (Federal Environmental
Regulations Affecting the Electronics Industry,
EPA744-B-95-001J. AIL project documents can be
obtained by contacting the Pollution Prevention
Information Clearinghouse or may be viewed on the
DfE Web site (see below, at right).
Communication Efforts
Throughout the PWB Project, EPA and the project part-
ners have conducted outreach activities to promote
awareness of the project and to generate interest in the
project's technical and information products. These com-
munication efforts also have helped to identify other
pollution prevention opportunities within the industry,
in addition to the alternative technologies evaluated in
the CTSAs. Stakeholders have given presentations at
PWB trade shows, written articles for the PWB trade
press, distributed DfE information products at booth
exhibits, developed project fact sheets, and created a web
site for the project. Also, the Communication
Workgroup has produced nine case studies on pollution
prevention and environmental management initiatives
undertaken by PWB manufacturers. The case studies
provide practical information on workplace practices,
equipment, technologies, and management systems that
result in risk reduction and cost savings. The studies are
available from the Pollution Prevention Information
Clearinghouse (see below).
Implementation Efforts
The PWB Project Implementation Workgroup provides
education and assistance to individual PWB manufac-
turers and encourages them to consider implementing
the cleaner technologies identified in the project. To
date, .the workgroup has accomplished the following:
• Developed and published a guidance document
[Implementing Cleaner Technologies in the Printed
Wiring Board Industry: Making Holes Conductive,
EPA744-R-9 7-001), which contains first-hand infor-
mation about manufacturers' experiences with
various making holes conductive technologies. A
similar guidance document for implementing alter-
native surface finishes is also being developed.
• Conducted seminars nationwide to present the
results of the MHC CTSA; seminars will also be
conducted to present the results of the surface fin-
ishes CTSA.
How Can I
Get More
Information?
To obtain project documents or learn more about
EPA's DfE Program or DfE PWB Project, contact:
Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW. (7409)
Washington, DC 20460
Telephone: 202 260-1023
Fax: 202 260-4659 -
E-mail: ppic@epa.gov
You may also visit the DfE web site at
or the DPC/DfE PWB Project
web site at .
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