IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries and JEDEC, the Solid State Technology Association, have announced plans to further their efforts in preparing electronics manufacturers for the inevitable European ban on lead by co-sponsoring three International Conferences on Lead Free Electronic Components and Assemblies in the U.S., Europe and Asia in 2004. Ever since the European Union agreed upon the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, in which all affected electrical equipment sold in Europe after July 1, 2006 must be free of lead, IPC and JEDEC have taken an active role in keeping the industry informed of changing requirements and encouraging the voluntary elimination of lead. In just its second year of jointly producing domestic and international conferences on lead free electronics, IPC and JEDEC will host their fifth, sixth and seventh lead free conferences on March 17-19 in San Jose, CA; in August in Singapore; and on October 20-22 in Frankfurt, Germany. "With just over two years to go until the European deadline, no topic is hotter in the global electronics industry than lead free technology," said David Bergman, IPC's vice president of standards, technology and international relations. "Our first four conferences have informed thousands of individuals from all segments of the supply chain on the widespread implications of this deadline."

For more information, visit http://www.jedec.org or http://www.ipc.org .