2017 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee Bios
HONOR. INSPIRE. CHALLENGE.® 2017 NATIONAL INVENTORS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE Iver Anderson ® Born October 7, 1953 Lead-Free Solder Patent No. 5,527,628 Iver Anderson invented lead-free solder, melting point—the key feature of a solder. a revolutionary tin, silver, and copper Today, 70 percent of electronic items in the alternative to traditional tin and lead world contain Anderson's lead-free solder. solder. Anderson's solder has reduced Besides minimizing toxic environmental environmental hazards and is a impacts and manufacturing costs, the metallurgical advancement that has solder can withstand greater stress, higher transformed electronic packaging and temperatures and temperature changes, been adopted throughout industry for more rugged settings, and resist corrosion use in manufacturing. that can weaken soldered connections—all To perform successfully, solder must melt important to optimal functioning of smart at one temperature, flow easily, then solidify phones, laptops, tablets, and similar devices. quickly to create a strong, durable bond In addition to typical solder ingot and paste, between metal parts. Late last century, the solder alloy can also be formed into studies showed that lead in discarded sheets or wires for accurate placement. solders leached into landfills and aquifers, Anderson received his B.S. in metallurgical threatening human health. Research engineering from Michigan Technological conducted by Anderson—a professor at University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Iowa State University and metallurgist Photo credit: Ames Laboratory the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is at Ames Laboratory—and his team led to an internationally recognized authority on the innovative solder. Like the traditional lead-free solder, and his research includes tin-lead alloy, Anderson's tin-silver-copper powder metallurgy, rapid solidification, and alloy acts like a pure metal with a single joining problems.
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