Matte Tin Plating
Samtec is an environmentally conscious company committed to complying with environmental directives being implemented worldwide. The majority of Samtec products are compliant with the EU WEEE and RoHS Directives as they are currently written.
In early 2005 Samtec began offering the "matte tin" plating option. Matte tin plating can withstand the elevated temperatures and long dwell times required for lead-free reflow soldering. Lead-free reflow soldering is often used when processing RoHS compliant products.
The deadline for RoHS product compliance is July 2006. In 2006, Samtec will begin shipping matte tin as standard plating on most* connectors with tin plating. This includes pins that are all tin plated (Samtec's -T plating option) and pins with selective gold/tin plating (Samtec's -S, -F, and -L and plating options).
As with any major manufacturing transition that involves large existing inventory levels, Samtec's change from standard tin plating to matte tin will occur over several months. Most of the transition will occur between March and June, 2006. Samtec may ship some matte tin products prior to March, 2006. The transition will be complete by July 1, 2006.
This change will occur automatically. Samtec customers do not need to change their part numbers or change the way they place orders. For example, if a customer specifies -T plating (standard tin), they will begin receiving matte tin. If a customer specifies - TM plating (matte tin), they will continue to receive matte tin plating.
The majority of Samtec products are already compliant with the EU WEEE and RoHS Directives as they are currently written. This includes products that contain Samtec's standard tin plating. However, some customers are required to change their component part number to show that the product is RoHS compliant, even if that product already is RoHS compliant. In that case, simply add the letter "M" after the plating option callout (-TM, -SM, etc.).
For a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Samtec's transition to matte tin, including functional, performance, and processing differences between standard tin plating and matte tin, go to www.samtec.com/mattetin_FAQ. For general information about Samtec's lead-free initiatives, go to www.samtec.com/lead-free. To view an electronic copy of this letter, go to http://www.samtec.com/mattetin.
Please contact us at lead-free@samtec.com if we can be of assistance, or if you have questions or need additional information about this change.
* The following Samtec product series will not be available with matte tin plating: BSC, CRU, DCMD, DCSD, DHSC, DSM, DSMD, DSSD, DVI, EEDP, EQCD, EQDP, FHSC, FSB, HBCD, HDMI, HDR, HFEM, HFEM2, HFHM, HFHM2, HHSC, HPDP, HQCD, HQDP, HRDPC, HSF8, MDN, MICD, MODM, MODS, MPP, MPPD, MPRC MUSB, PCIE, RSP, SCF, SCPE, SCPU, SQDP, SCRE, SCRU, THSC, USB, USBC, VHDCF, VPDP, VRDPC, ZFHF and any ASP products derived from the above product series. Note: ASP is a custom or modified product, often made from standard components.
