July 1, 2006 is the scheduled date for enforcement of this legislation in the European Union. In today's global market this legislation will affect business everywhere. If you export products for use in European nations you will need to ensure that your products are in compliance with these regulations. This page is intended to provide some basic information about the legislation and how it might affect our business and your business. As more information becomes available, this page will be updated to keep you informed.
In a nutshell, the RoHS legislation is intended to reduce the amount of hazardous materials used in the production of Electronic goods. The six basic materials covered by this legislation are lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE). Effective July 1, 2006 manufacturer's will be banned from producing products for use in the European Union that contain more than the limits specified in the RoHS regulations. These substances are found in common items like solder, component leads, casings for components and plastics used in enclosures and connectors. While at this point the legislation is not enforceable in Canada, there are direct effects that will be felt here.
Many manufactures have already indicated that Non-RoHS products will be phased out and replaced with RoHS compliant products.
Due to the elimination of Lead, soldering formulations and techniques will change. Soldering temperatures will need to increase which in turn can affect other components such as connectors.
If, like us, you are supplying products to companies, you will need to be able to provide information as to whether components you are supplying comply or not to the regulations.
In all likely hood, similar regulations will eventually be enacted here. As stated above, this legislation is very complex and does contain exceptions such as batteries, items destined for use by the military and in critical applications where a compliant product has yet to be developed. There are some links below that will connect you to various sites where you can find further information.
With less than a year to go, you need to be ready for this change. We encourage all our customers to investigate fully how these Regulations will affect your business in both the long and short term.