Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1529411
54 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2024 In the 1980s, Electrochemicals, Inc. (now Electrochemical Products) made a signifi- cant shi from furniture and industrial goods to electronics and manufacturing. During this journey, a tin-nickel plating alloy was devel- oped. In 1984, Mike Carano, a young engi- neer, published a paper on tin-nickel plating alloy, but aer some initial attention, the plat- ing solution fell into obscurity. Has the Time Finally Come for Tin-nickel Plating? Today, PCB fabrication looks largely the same, yet changes are afoot, chiefly due to the demands for very fine feature capability on printed circuit boards, as well as environmen- tal sustainability. So, in this fascinating conver- sation with Mike Carano and Happy Holden, we take another look at tin-nickel and its advantages in both performance and sustain- ability. Marcy LaRont: Mike, please explain the unique metal properties of the tin-nickel alloy and why fabricators should consider this as a surface finish solution today. Mike Carano: Tin-nickel is a metastable alloy. It is monatomic, meaning that no matter what you do with the chemistry or how you manipulate the grams per liter of one metal or the other (or the amps per square foot), it always comes out as 65% of one metal and 35% of the other. I'm not aware this is true with any other combination of metals. Interview by Marcy LaRont, I-CONNECT007 Mike Carano as a young engineer.