NEW YORK-Japan is leading the world in lead-free solder paste use, but Western Europe will likely catch up in the near future, according to a recent study by Frost & Sullivan.
According to the market-research firm's World Surface Mount Technology Roadmap report, Japan currently consumes 80 percent of the world's supply of lead-free solder paste, primarly in the the area of consumer electronics. The study says European lead-free legislation, scheduled to go into effect July 1, 2006, will accelerate the move toward lead-free solder use in that region in the months to come.