Lead-Free Becoming a Reality.

While environmental pressures may ultimately force electrical solder paste and adhesive manufacturers to offer more lead-free solutions, few users are currently selecting these environmentally friendlier products. Lead-free pastes do not perform as well as standard counterparts and are often more costly. In the short term, uncertainty over lead-free products could restrain the markets for electrical solder paste and adhesives.

A new analysis by Frost & Sullivan (San Jose, CA), World Electrical Solder Paste and Adhesive Markets, reveals that the total market generated $679 million in 2000, and is forecasted to reach $2 billion by 2007. "New opportunities for growth can be found in the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry. The EMS market is the fastest growing segment for electrical solder paste and adhesives," says analyst Keith Robinson. "To maximize gains, solder paste and adhesive manufacturers should focus on first- and second-tier EMS providers, which are experiencing the strongest growth within the electronic assembly industry."

Meanwhile, the success of electrical conductive adhesives (ECAs) could come at the expense of solder pastes. The growth of lead-free solder will encourage electronic assembly manufacturers to find cost effective alternative technologies, such as ECAs. ECAs allow manufacturers to eliminate several steps in the surface-mount production process-including cleaning and soldering.

For more information, visit www.frost. com.

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