What does the RoHS directive require?
The directive requires the removal of certain banned chemicals from NEW electrical products sold after 1st July 2006.

What are the 6 banned chemicals and their permitted level under the directive?
The banned chemicals and their permitted maximum level within a homogenous material are: Cadmium (Cd) 0.01%; Lead (Pb) 0.10%; Mercury (Hg) 0.10%; Hexavalent Chromium (Cr (VI)) 0.10% and Polybrominated biphenyl and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) 0.10%.

What is a homogenous material?
For the purposes of the RoHS directive, this has been defined as each single separable piece that goes to make up a whole part, e.g. a semi-conductor package is likely to contain at least 6 homogenous parts: the lead frame, the lead frame coating, the die attach, the plastic encapsulation, any bond wires and of course the silicon chip. (The permitted content levels may not be exceeded in each of these individual parts).

Will my product come under the scope of the RoHS directive?
If your product requires an electrical current or electromagnetic field to work, then it will most likely fall under the directive unless it is exempted.

I think my product falls under the RoHS directive, what do I have to do?
You will need to confirm with your component and material suppliers that their products are made from compliant materials. You will need to retain proof of this statement in case you require it at a later date for the enforcing body, the WEEE treatment facility, or your customer.

I understand that I will be expected to make a statement of compliance for my manufactured products, or the components and materials that I supply to a manufacturer - How can I be sure that I am providing accurate information?
The confidence that you have in your statement will depend on the accuracy of information from your suppliers and the level of trust that you have with them. If you refer to the flowchart on page 33 this will help you to decide whether you need to take further action to confirm a supplier´s statement to you.

How can I confirm that a component or product is RoHS compliant?
There are some simple test kits on the market, e.g. Rapid sells a simple lead test kit, (87-0825) that can be used to ascertain whether lead is present in a part, or distinguish between leaded and lead free solders. However in most cases testing will require specialised equipment which is expensive and you may find that contacting a bespoke testing house will be more appropriate. See website links on page 9 for some possible contacts that could assist you.

Who will be enforcing this legislation?
The RoHS directive will be monitored and enforced by the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (www.nwml.gov.uk).

Will the compliant parts and materials affect my production process?
It is possible that changes to your process may be necessary. You would be wise to run trials with compliant parts and lead free solder before you start a major production run. There are a number of companies who may be able to provide help with regard to specific production problems that may occur. Examples are listed below.

How will Compliant parts be identified by Rapid?
At Rapid, we are only creating new product codes if the compliant part comes with a new code from the supplier. However, we are adding the letters “RC” to the end of our product description on all parts, once we have ascertained that we are only selling compliant stock. (This description appears on our product labels, delivery notes and invoices).