SMT, PCB Electronics Industry News
  • SMTnet
  • »
  • Industry News
  • »
  • Nihon Superior to Address Key Industry Trends, Concerns at the SMTA Ohio Valley Chapter Meeting

Nihon Superior to Address Key Industry Trends, Concerns at the SMTA Ohio Valley Chapter Meeting

May 16, 2011

Keith Howell, Nihon Superior's Technical Director for the Americas

Keith Howell, Nihon Superior's Technical Director for the Americas

Nihon Superior Co. Ltd., a supplier of advanced soldering materials to the global market, announces that Keith Howell, Technical Director for the Americas, will present during the SMTA Ohio Valley chapter meeting on June 3, 2011 at the Dave and Busters in Hilliard, Ohio.

The meeting will take place from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. with lunch served from 12-12:45 p.m.

From 12:45-2:30 p.m., Keith will present  “Trends in Lead-free Solders and Concerns with Tin-Whiskers.”

Nearly five years after the implementation of the European Union RoHS Directive mandating the use of Pb-free solders in consumer electronics, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the simple ternary SAC305 alloy cannot deliver everything that the electronics industry requires in a solder in terms of cost and performance. The cost of the 3-4 percent Ag required to get the 217°C solidus temperature that was one of the main reasons for choosing the Sn-Ag-Cu eutectic has prompted the industry to reduce the Ag content as low as 0.1 percent Ag or to use Sn-Cu based alloys with no Ag. The non-eutectic behavior of nominally eutectic alloys that can result in dull, cracked solder fillets is being addressed by alloys such as SN100C with trace additions of Ni to Sn-Cu. 

Since the move to lead-free solders that typically have a tin content of more than 95 percent, there has been concern about the possibility of circuit malfunctions due to growth of tin whiskers. There is a widely accepted view that whisker growth is a response to compressive stress within the tin crystal so that an effective mitigation strategy should be the identification and elimination or at least minimization of the processes that can generate such stress. Corrosion has been identified as one source of that stress. The likelihood of whisker growth occurring on lead-free assemblies soldered using no-clean technologies can be significantly reduced by using a halogen-free flux that does not promote the sort of corrosion that appears to be a driver for whisker growth.

Keith Howell has 25+ years of industry experience including 20 years in the field of electronics assembly and soldering. He has been in various roles in the development, manufacturing and marketing of new products and is currently Technical Director for the Americas for Nihon Superior, the developer of SN100C lead-free solder. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and a MBA from the University of Rochester, and has presented at numerous seminars on lead-free soldering.

If interested in attending the upcoming SMTA Ohio Valley chapter meeting, e-mail bcrane@bird-technologies.com or arrive at Dave and Busters from 9:30-10 a.m. on June 3 to register onsite.


Nihon Superior was founded in 1966 when it began marketing unique flux products imported from the US. The company made its mark on society by gathering the most advanced soldering and brazing technologies and products from around the world, and supplying them to companies in the metal-joining industry. A turning point for the company came when it started developing its own soldering materials and with the success of its unique SN100C lead-free solder alloy Nihon Superior has become a major player in the global market. To support the growing demand for its products Nihon Superior has established manufacturing and sales centers in Japan, China and other Asian countries and formed business partnerships with companies in other markets.

Mar 18, 2024 -

Nihon Superior Sets New Standards in Lead-Free Soldering Technology at APEX 2024

Nov 13, 2023 -

Nihon Superior's Keith Sweatman Wins a Coveted SMTA International Best Paper Award

Nov 06, 2023 -

Nihon Superior and FCT Solder Extend Partnership with SN100CV License Agreement

Oct 02, 2023 -

Nihon Superior's Mr. Keith Sweatman to Present at the 2023 SMTA International Technical Conference

Sep 11, 2023 -

Nihon Superior to Highlight SN100CV P608 Paste at SMTAI

Jan 09, 2023 -

Nihon Superior Launches Ag-free SAC305 Replacement – SN100CV

Dec 21, 2022 -

Nihon Superior to Highlight TempSave Soldering Materials at IPC APEX

Nov 15, 2022 -

Nihon Superior Introduces Lead-Free Solder Paste for Automotive Requirements

Oct 06, 2022 -

Nihon Superior to Highlight TempSave Soldering Materials and SN100CV P608 Paste at SMTAI

Jan 03, 2022 -

Nihon Superior to Highlight TempSave Soldering Materials at IPC APEX

152 more news from Nihon Superior Co., Ltd. »

Sep 20, 2024 -

VIBRO METER VM600 MPC4 200-510-070-113

Sep 20, 2024 -

Triconex CM3201 Digital input unit control card Module

Sep 20, 2024 -

WOODWARD 9907-186 Load Sharing Module

Sep 20, 2024 -

Triconex 3603T Digital Output

Sep 20, 2024 -

BENTLY NEVAD 330101-00-16-10-02-00

Sep 20, 2024 -

EPRO PR9268/201-000

Sep 20, 2024 -

ABB SPDSI13 Analog input module

Sep 20, 2024 -

HONEYWELL MU-TSIM12 51303932-426

Sep 20, 2024 -

Schneider 140CRA21220

Sep 20, 2024 -

PFEIFFER D-35614

See electronics manufacturing industry news »

Nihon Superior to Address Key Industry Trends, Concerns at the SMTA Ohio Valley Chapter Meeting news release has been viewed 860 times

  • SMTnet
  • »
  • Industry News
  • »
  • Nihon Superior to Address Key Industry Trends, Concerns at the SMTA Ohio Valley Chapter Meeting
Facility Closure

ICT Total SMT line Provider