Fall 2008
"Greener" PCB production with OM Nanofinish
Omni Graphics is starting to hear feedback about our OM Nanofinish surface finish option from PCB assemblers. One of our local clients has noted no difference in performance between their standard ENIG-finished boards and the Nanofinish board we provided for comparison testing.For clients who are curious about this new surface finish, Omni Graphics is encouraging trials of the Nanofinish by offering a sample panel on all NO TOOLING production runs which are ordered with other surface finishes. Considering the superior performance of the Nanofinish and its appeal as a "greener" and less costly option, we are expecting to start seeing more of our clients switching to this new technology.
If you'd like to discuss the OM Nanofinish and how it can be applied in your PCB projects, contact us today!
Best wishes,
Jac Kroeker
If you have an opinion or advice regarding this newsletter, please contact us via email at jac@omnigraph.com subject "newsletter". If you have received this newsletter from a colleague and wish to subscribe to it, click here to go to the page where you can subscribe.
Environmental Benefits of the OM Nanofinish
The global PCB manufacturing industry has made major shifts to
become more responsive to environmental and cost concerns. While
companies in our region of the world (Pacific Northwest) enjoy low
costs for water and energy, the global industry is concerned with the
costs of water and energy used in the PCB manufacturing process. In our
region, environmental responsibility is considered to have a high value
as consumers increase their demands for “green” production processes.
With the move to lead-free solder under the RoHS directive, some of the
problem of hazardous materials waste from electronics production has
been dissipated, but there is still a need to reduce the environmental
footprint through innovative products and processes. The OM Nanofinish
surface finish for PCBs outperforms some of the top lead-free
alternatives on most measurable dimensions, as discussed in previous
issues of the Omni Review, and also has a much smaller environmental
footprint as defined by water use, energy consumption, and waste
product.
Studies Look at the environmental impacts of PCB surface finishes
The US Environmental Protection Agency has published a life-cycle assessment of the environmental impacts of lead-free and tin-lead solder, as used in electronic products. (See http://www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/pwb/ctsasurf/pwb-pub.htm). The EPA study showed that HASL and ENIG have the highest consumption of water, energy and metals. Immersion Tin and Immersion Silver had somewhat less energy consumption, while OSP showed the lowest energy consumption of the finishes included in the study. ENIG, the most widely used finish right now, has the highest environmental impact and toxicity risks.
The
OM Nanofinish has a low energy
consumption, requiring about one-third of the energy demand of
immersion
silver and about half of the energy demand of OSP. Up until the
introduction of the OM Nanofinish, the OSP surface finish was
considered the "greenest" option for its low level of water consumption
and energy demand. Because of the very small quantities of silver
(already a relatively non-hazardous metal) used with the OM Nanofinish,
this new technology provides an even "greener" option than OSP.
A similar but less-widely-known study was produced in Europe by the
Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy in Germany (See
http://www.wupperinst.org/en/home/index.html). This study
used the OM Nanofinish as one of the test substances in an analysis
using the Material Input Per Service Unit concept (MIPS). This study
looked at the environmental impacts of surface finishes on printed
circuit boards across the industry. The analysis found that if all PCBs
were produced with the OM Nanofinish, the impact on the environment
could be reduced to 0.23% of today’s value.
OM Nanofinish: An organic fit with Omni Graphics’ production line
Omni Graphics has always placed a high value on environmental
responsibility. We have developed a proprietary waste water management
strategy that ensures our water outputs are clean, while attempting to
minimize our energy costs through leading the way on innovative
technologies.
The OM Nanofinish surface finish technology is another example of how
Omni Graphics makes a great effort to be environmentally responsible.
The OM Nanofinish uses an extremely low level of silver, which means
there is less water needed to rinse the boards after treatment, and
there is less waste metal deposited in the rinse water. The OM
Nanofinish requires a lower temperature compared to ENIG, meaning less
energy consumption required to heat the chemical treatment tank.
Combined with our existing procedures for minimizing our impact on the
environment, the OM Nanofinish offers an excellent option to our
clients who wish to adopt the “greenest” production practices.
For more information...
If you are interested in learning more, please contact Jac Kroeker by phone (604-276-9717) or email jac@omnigraph.com.
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