RoHS Tip for Compliance

RoHS means “Restriction of Hazardous Materials”. RoHS 2 states that in order for a product to carry the CE Mark it must be RoHS Compliant and the DROP DEAD Date is July 22, 2017. Your first RoHS Tip is take care of this by July 22, 2017. If the product is not RoHS by that date you will no longer be able to mark the product CE (Including Hazardous area ATEX CE) after that date.  Some items that cause a product NOT to be RoHS are as simple as the electrical connectors.  Your second RoHS Tip is old school olive drab military specification (Mil Spec) connectors are not RoHS compliant and will make the product void if not replaced with RoHS compliant connectors. Addressing a simple issue like this is reasonable. Because of the high number of products that a company may have in inventory this process may take longer than expected. Your third RoHS Tip is to start addressing these known issues immediately.

RoHS Tip for Compliance – Pay Attention to Detail!

There are  reasonable solutions for situations like the one mentioned above. Many people think RoHS compliance is only related to the circuit board. The truth is if there is anything electrical in the product it applies to the entire product, including connectors, screws, potting materials and metal coatings. Therefore, you probably have some additional research to attend to. Your fifth RoHS Tip is to research all of your products thoroughly. Don’t get caught with a warehouse full of useless inventory.

Identifying potential RoHS problems early is critical to inventory management. Ignore this step and it may cost thousands of dollars long term if not addressed. Here’s an example for you. Many companies build products that use the green Mil-spec connectors and have a large inventory of such products.  These green Mil-Spec connectors contain materials which are banned by RoHS. There are reasonable replacements using RoHS compliant coatings or material.  Identifying items such as this will allow you to manage your inventory, and plan a seamless transition to the updated parts – No Waste!!

Call ASD for more detailed information and help in getting this going.