对饮用水中铅污染的担忧迫使美国尼伯科寻找替代合金和产品，以满足新的和不断变化的法规，并为不断变化的市场需求做好准备。作为回应，美国尼伯科公司开发了一种新的“无铅”黄铜合金铸造黄铜产品，该合金获得了IMI Yorkshire的专利和许可，可以用铋代替铅。这些黄铜产品，连同包括美国尼伯科工程树脂水龙头在内的现有无铅产品，构成了一个以HYDRAPURE品牌销售的完全无铅的管道系统。这种新材料的需求迫使美国尼伯科的制造业务发生变化。铸造和机加工程序都需要修改。本文讨论了其中一些变化，并报告了使用新合金进行产品测试的情况。

Concerns about lead contamination in drinking water have forced NIBCO to look for alternative alloys and products to meet new and changing regulations and to prepare for changing market demands. NIBCO has responded by developing cast brass products from a new "lead-free" brass alloy, patented and licensed by IMI Yorkshire that substitutes bismuth for lead. These brass products, in conjunction with existing lead-free products including NIBCO's engineered resin faucets, make up a totally lead-free plumbing system marketed as HYDRAPURE. The requirements of the new material have forced changes in NIBCO's manufacturing operations. Both foundry and machining procedures have required modification. This paper discusses some of those changes and reports on product testing with the new alloy.