Tin Industry › Tin Metal
Tin is a silver-white metal of low melting point, is highly ductile and malleable, resistant to corrosion and fatigue, has the ability to alloy with other metals, is non-toxic and is easily recycled.
A Historic, Proven Metal
Tin (Sn) has been used and traded by man for more than 5000 years, it has been found in the tombs of ancient Egyptians, and was exported to Europe from Cornwall, England, during the Roman period. One of the two elements that shaped the Bronze Age, tin has played a major role in the development of civilisation as we know it. The principal ore of tin is cassiterite (SnO2) but some tin is produced from sulphide minerals such as stannite (Cu2FeSnS4).
Tin has many important uses throughout the world, particularly as solders in the electronics industry and as tinplate which is used as a protective coating on steel cans for food packaging. These together aggregate over 70% of consumption. In addition there are many other uses including common alloys bronze (tin and copper) and type metals (tin, lead and antimony). Inorganic compounds of tin are used in ceramics and glazes while organic compounds of tin are used in plastics, wood preservatives, pesticides and fire retardants.
For more information, visit the ITRI and Tin Technology websites.
The Green Metal
Tin is fast adopting a tag as the Green Metal, primarily due to its benign properties and impact on the health and welfare of humans, flora and fauna and the environment.
The proliferation in recent years of electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones there has been significant regulatory and industry focus on the recycling of these devices. Metals such as Aluminum, Steel and Tin can be extracted and recycled. Hazardous materials including toxins such as, Lead, Mercury, Arsenic and cadmium are potentials by-products of electronics recovery and this is leading to the substitution of Tin for Lead in solders.
A universal shift by the electronics industry to lead-free solders has began with latest estimates indicating an appropriate 60% uptake and tin solders moving from approximately 30% of total tin consumption to 50% of total tin consumption over a three year period. In the same period world tin consumption has been growing at a rate of approximately 10% year on year.
For more information, visit the EPA Design for the Environment and EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment websites.