Air Products Signs Two Contracts with Nokia in China to Supply Nitrogen      

On December 18th, 2008 Air Products (NYSE: APD) announced it has signed two contracts with Nokia to supply nitrogen to its Beijing and Dongguan plants in China for use in the company's electronics assembly and packaging process.
   Nokia has recently converted its printed circuit board assembly to a lead-free solder process, and nitrogen is needed in reflow soldering, a widely used method in surface mount technology (SMT) for packaging components on electronics printed circuit boards.
   Lead-free soldering is part of the global movement in the electronics industry to eliminate lead contamination, ultimately contributing to greener manufacturing in compliance with the internationally recognized Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) policy. Air Products has completed several research programs and conducted production trials with its customers in the area of lead-free solder processes over the past five years.