What is RoHS and RoHS Regulations
- a guide, overview or tutorial describing what is RoHS (Restriction of
Hazardous Substances) directive, and what are the RoHS regulations.
In recent years there has been a move to improve the
environmental aspects of electronics equipment. Part of this is to reduce the
level of substances that are hazardous to health. As a result legislation known
as RoHS has been introduced. As a result it is necessary for many people to look
at what is RoHS.
RoHS (Restriction of use of certain Hazardous Substances) is
a European Union (EU) Directive that will restrict the use of 6 hazardous
materials in the manufacture of electronic & electrical equipment. It came into
affect on 1st July 2006. After this compliance with the legislation is necessary
for any products that fall within its scope within the EU.
Much of the electronics industry is global in its nature, and
although the RoHS regulations are contained within an EU directive, it is
rapidly becoming a worldwide standard. As a result similar legislation is being
considered in many countries outside the EU. Much of this legislation will be
based on the RoHS regulations that are being implemented within the EU. RoHS
compliance is now becoming a major necessity for manufacturers of electronic
products.
What is RoHS?
Although the major focus of the RoHS regulations have been on
the reduction of lead within products to provide RoHS compliance, there is a
total of six substances whose use is restricted:
- Cadmium
- Chromium VI - hexavalent chromium or Cr6+
- Lead
- Mercury
- PBB
- PBDE
In the list, PBB and PBDE are flame retardants that are used
in some plastics.
RoHS application
The RoHS directive applies to a wide variety of products. The
scope of the directive applies to equipment that is defined in the WEEE
directive. These include:
- Large and small household appliances
- IT equipment
- Telecommunications equipment (infrastructure equipment is exempt in some
countries)
- Consumer equipment
- Lighting equipment
- Electronic and electrical tools
- Toys, leisure and sports equipment
- Automatic dispensers
One of the main exemptions from the RoHS directive is that
batteries are not included despite the high levels of substances that would
normally come under RoHS. Lead-acid batteries, NiCds, and mercury batteries are
prime examples.
Another exemption is that the RoHS directive does not apply
to fixed industrial plant and tools. Here compliance is the responsibility of
the company that markets the product.
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Note on WEEE Directive:
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
Directive (2002/96/EC) is a directive issued by the EU that aims to aims
to reduce the waste arising from electrical and electronic equipment;
and improve the environmental performance of all those involved in the
life cycle of electrical and electronic products. The WEEE directive
covers electrical and electronic equipment used by private consumers and
professional applications. |
Implementation of RoHS Regulations
The aim of the RoHS regulations are to reduce the levels of
the hazardous substances within electronic equipment. With increasing levels of
electronic equipment being produced, and some time later discarded, it has been
found the levels of hazardous substances in the environment has been rising. One
of the major areas of the RoHS has been to reduce the level of lead, and
sometimes RoHS is mistakenly thought of as the "lead free legislation." However
as seen above there is more than only lead that is involved in the legislation.
In order to limit the levels of substances maximum acceptable
levels are set for the substances. Maximum concentrations of 0.1% by weight of
homogeneous material are set for all but Cadmium, which as it is more toxic, the
maximum level is set to 0.01%.
The limits do not apply to just the whole product, but to any
element, component or substance that could be separated from it. In one example
this could apply to the solder used on a printed circuit board. It could equally
apply to the plastic insulation of a wire. In this way, everything that is used
in the construction of a product must be RoHS compliant.
Although RoHS is more than just lead-free manufacturing, one
of the main thrusts by manufacturers of electronic equipment has been to adopt
soldering processes that are lead free to provide RoHS compliance. At one time
lead was a major constituent of solder, and the new legislation has meant that
many new lead free solders are being developed and used. As their properties are
slightly different to the solders containing lead, careful control of processes
has been required to ensure that same high standards of the final products are
maintained. Solder joint reliability is a major factor that has had to be
addressed.
RoHS around the globe
RoHS regulations are contained within an EU directive, and in
view of the size of the EU, other countries that export products to the EU need
to be compliant. This makes its application far more wide ranging, with
countries around the globe being aware of it and having to manufacture goods
that are RoHS compliant.
In addition to countries and companies who export to the EU,
many countries are adopting RoHS itself, or RoHS-like legislation and standards.
China is introducing similar legislation, and many refer to their standards as
"China RoHS". One of the main differences is that unlike the EU where products
are included unless they are specifically included, in China the opposite is
true. However there is the possibility that China may include some products that
are not included within the EU.
Within the USA, the State of California has adopted RoHS
style legislation and this takes effect on 1st January 2007. These RoHS
regulations use the EU RoHS directive as its base.
In Japan, a slightly different approach is being seen to RoHS.
While Japan does not have any RoHS laws themselves, their recycling legislation
has given the impetus to their manufacturers to adopt lead-free processes.
Additionally there is a significant "green bonus", to manufacturers to who adopt
environmentally friendly manufacturing as this can be used as part of their
advertising and sales.
RoHS testing and RoHS compliance
It is necessary for electronics products these days within
the relevant categories to show RoHS compliance before they can be sold. It may
be necessary to carry out RoHS testing to ensure that products are free of the
substances prohibited under the RoHS regulations. This RoHS testing can be
carried out by a number of laboratories.
Future of RoHS
With the world having to become more aware of environmental
issues, the RoHS directive and RoHS regulations are likely to be the basis on
which more directives are introduced. Despite the cost of its introduction, the
cost of not being aware of harm to the environment would be significantly worse,
making any cost a worthwhile investment.
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