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RoHS - Are Your Prepared ? |
RoHS : Means Restriction of Hazardous Substances is the European Union's Directive to reduce the amount of hazardous substances released into the enviroment via the production and disposal of electronics.
This Directive has become law and goes into effect in the EU On July 1. 2006. Other countries and US States are following the EU lead.
- Do you have customers in Europe, California, China ?
- Does your product contain LEAD ?
- Does your product contain INSLATED WIRING or OTHER PLASTICS ?
- Does your product use METAL PARTS ?
If you answer YES to one or more of these questions, you need to be proactive about RoHS.
- If your product is SOLDERED using CONVENTIONAL SOLDER or uses LEAD-CONTAINING COMPONENTS, it conatins LEAD.
- If your product use INSULATED WIRING and / or PLASTIC, it likely contains BROMINATED COMPOUNDS used as fire retardants.
- If your product use METAL PARTS, you may havev HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM or CADMIUM in you product.
- Similar rules apply for MERCURY.
Unless you TAKE ACTION to remove or reduce LEAD, CADIMUM, HEXAVALENT, CHROMIUM, MERCURY, and certain BROMINATED compunds from your products, you will not legally allowed to sell them in :
- The European Union after June 30. 2006
- China after June 30. 2006
- California after December 31. 2006
- Other US States and other countries will adapt similar law soon.
The limit allowed are very low and very strict. The following limits apply to Every Homogeneous material used in any part or component wihin your product:
- Cadmium : 0.01 % by weight
- Lead, hexavalent chromium, mercury : 0.1% by weight
- Polybrominated biphenyls ( PBBs) and Polybrominated disphenyl ether ( PBDE) : 0.1 % by weight
What Can We Do ?
Converting a design to RoHS complaiancy is a multipstep and time consuming process. It involves:
- Identifing all parts in a design that are not RoHS compliant.
- Researching alternative parts that aare compliant and vendors that can provide certified compliant parts ( such as electroincs, metal and plastic parts )
- Redesigning the product with all-RoHS compliant parts. Engineering the product to handle the higer lead-free soldering process temperatures.
- Generating and maintaining the proper documentation package to demonstrates RoHS compliance for every parts in your product and assembly process.
- Re-certifiyhing to UL/CSE, ASTM or other standard agencies.
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