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Examines the sixteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

This is a review paper, covering the various concerns that the electronics manufacturing industries are currently addressing, except for semiconductor manufacturing. These include waste water treatment, the need to reduce energy requirements for both the finished product and the manufacturing processes, the use of lead in solder and cathode ray tubes, bromine‐based fire retardants, ozone depletion, including the problems of the small and medium industry in developing nations and new ozone‐depleting solvents, climate change due to fluorocarbons and the problems from volatile organic compounds. A section treats the impact of industrial pollution on public health. The paper is written in a very critical style, evoking problems due to inappropriate rule making.

Examines the seventeenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

An overview has been presented on the topic of alternative surface finishes for package I/Os and circuit board features. Aspects of processability and solder joint reliability were described for the following coatings: baseline hot‐dipped, plated, and plated‐and‐fused 100Sn and Sn‐Pb coatings; Ni/Au; Pd, Ni/Pd, and Ni/Pd/Au finishes; and the recently marketed immersion Ag coatings. The Ni/Au coatings appear to provide the all‐around best options in terms of solderability protection and wire bondability. Nickel/Pd finishes offer a slightly reduced level of performance in these areas which is most likely due to variable Pd surface conditions. It is necessary to minimize dissolved Au or Pd contents in the solder material to prevent solder joint embrittlement. Ancillary aspects that include thickness measurement techniques; the importance of finish compatibility with conformal coatings and conductive adhesives; and the need for alternative finishes for the processing of non‐Pb bearing solders are discussed.

Organic and immersion metallic coatings are being used as a replacement for the hot air solder level (HASL) process. Use of these coatings provides advantages for both the fabricator and assembler. Advantages to assemblers include flatter pads (0.25‐0.5 micron thickness), no limitations on fine pitch or small hole cleaning, and greater solder joint strength. Advantages to the fabricator include lower operating costs, little or no rejects/rework, reduced safety hazard and a more environmentally friendly process. Current problems associated with the organic and immersion coatings include the inability to assess the solderability of the bare copper or the integrity of the coating (organic). These coatings also present a critical concern due to their reduced shelf life and potential inability to survive mishandling in manufacturing. Real time, non‐destructive methods of rapidly assessing the integrity these coatings are currently not available to the electronics industry. Surface Spectroscopy measurement techniques have the potential to measure the structure and characteristics of the organic and metallic coatings, and surface oxides that develop with time and temperature. The measurement techniques are rapid, non‐contact, and relatively inexpensive to make when compared to existing methods. Surface Spectroscopy can also provide critical surface information that is needed to troubleshoot solderability problems. The American Competitiveness Institute in association with the Navy EMPF program is working with several industry partners to develop a usable surface spectroscopy tool that will assess the quality and integrity of the coatings and correlate that reading with a solderability evaluation.

Examines the fifthteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and other organic chelates are widely employed in electroless plating processes used by the printed circuit board and metal finishing industries. These chelating agents can pose problems with downstream waste water treatment, and metals and water recycling processes, due to their ability to complex heavy metal ions and their low biodegradabilities. Conventional treatment methods, such as carbon adsorption, air stripping and reverse osmosis can create secondary waste problems and are normally applied as “end of pipe” treatments. The development of new technology to address these problems would be welcomed. The ROCWAT project, funded by the EC under the “CRAFT” programme, detailed in this paper was undertaken to develop and deliver innovative techniques for the in situ destruction of chelates and other organics found in manufacturing process chemistries and effluent streams.

Examines the fifteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

The demise of the CFC‐113/alcohol azeotropic solvent for de‐fluxing circuit assemblies after soldering has led, in recent years, to the electronics assembly industry being offered other cleaning technologies, some new and some new to this industry. In terms of uptake, one of the most successful will be semi‐aqueous cleaning involving the use of an organic solvent of low volatility to dissolve the contamination followed by an aqueous rinsing process. Two families of solvent have evolved based on natural products (terpenes) and synthetic hydrocarbon chemicals. This paper reviews the possible semi‐aqueous processes and the development of the solvents that has taken place. The cleaning performance is considered as well as the potential for effluent control and fully closed‐loop systems.