Tin
whiskers can occur when ˇ§pureˇ¨ tin plating is used
on connectors. This is very rare however for tin whiskers
to form. The primary reasons that lead is added to
tin plating is to reduce the the possibility of tin
whisker from growing. However, tin whiskers are an
industry-wide issue not restricted to any one company.
All connector products have the risk for the formation
of tin whiskers. In most environments this is not
a likely issue to occur. However, for certain applications
where any possible tin whisker will form this can
be avoid with the use of lead free platings, such
as gold flash, which have no possibility of tin whisker
formation.
