BALVE, GERMANY — Balver Zinn, a leading provider of high-quality anodes with various alloys as well as soft solders and special wires, announces that it has been awarded a 2008 NPI Award in the category of Soldering Materials for its SN100C Nihon Paste. The award was presented to the company during a Monday, March 31, 2008 ceremony that took place in the Mandalay Bay Resort & Convention Center in Las Vegas before the start of APEX 2008.

Developed specifically for the lead-free process of mass soldering, SN100C™ operates under process conditions similar to those of conventional lead containing alloys. With SN100C™ it is possible to achieve high productivity whilst still producing reliable joints cost-effectively. SN100C™ is outperforming competitive products in Europe, with increasing numbers of leading manufacturers incorporating it into their process and Balver Zinn is soon to announce the availability of this product as a paste for SMT. Balver Zinn has held the license for Nihon Superior’s SN100C™ range of solder in Europe for five years and this year received Nihon Superior’s highest accolade ‘Gold Award’ in recognition of outstanding sales performance of this product.

Premiering in 2008, the NPI Awards program is an annual celebration of product excellence in electronics surface mount assembly. Premier products based on the finest examples of creative advancement in technology are chosen by a distinguished panel of industry experts.