RoHS, which is the acronym for "Restriction of Hazardous Substances", is a directive from the European Union (EU) that restricts the use of six substances in new electrical and electronic equipment that are placed on the market by July 1, 2006.
"Specialists have noticed that being RoHS compliant and lead-free brings all sorts of new issues - so they believe that now is the time to look at manual soldering, - such as solder/desolder tips." Source: manufacturingtalk.com
"Newark InOne, a Chicago-based distributor of small-quantity electronic components, has introduced an interactive Restriction of Hazardous Substances catalog that features 40,000 products that are compliant with the European Union’s RoHS directive, which takes effect on July 1 of this year. The catalog’s interactive functionality was developed to allow engineers and component buyers to search by part number or description. The site also allows users to evaluate and buy products on the same platform. The online catalog mirrors Newark InOne’s print catalog and includes a detailed guide to RoHS compliance." Source: reed-electronics.com
"Fuzetec, the pptc (polymeric positive temperature coefficient) resettable fuse company based in Taiwan, has announced its complete range of fuses is now RoHS-compliant. Available in Europe from Phoenix Electronics the products comprise radial leaded parts in both disc and rectangular format with a voltage range of 16-600V in seven steps, a surface mount offering (1206, 1210, 1812 and 2920) and axial leaded versions targeted towards rechargeable battery pack applications." Source: cieonline.co.uk
"Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, Inc. (SSI), one of the leading developers of analytical instrumentation in the U.S., today announced the availability of its new free white paper 'Understanding RoHS.' The paper is available for download from the Shimadzu Scientific Instruments web site at www.ssi.shimadzu.com. The paper offers guidance and tips for the many organizations that have yet to properly comply with the European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations, which are scheduled to take effect in July of this year. RoHS regulates the concentration levels of substances considered hazardous in electrical and electronic equipment. The white paper also provides insight into how RoHS will affect U.S. manufacturers, how they can earn compliance, and the ramifications of non-compliance." Source: busineswire.com
"Expanding its range of multimedia flat-panel controller assemblies, Kontron has introduced the RoHS-compliant CRT to LCD-6 controller assembly, which converts analog RGB or digital DVI input (optional) signals into digital TTL or LVDS signals for TFTs. Applications include POS and POI terminals, gaming machines, and medical devices whose central computer provides analog VGA or digital DVI graphics output, and which are to be connected to flat panel displays. This is the scenario for most embedded CPU assemblies and the new controller makes it easier for users to integrate attractive and increasingly economical TFTs into their systems. The controller can be used in any system because it does not require a PCI or AGP slot, says the company." Source: electropages.com
"A fully RoHS compliant single board computer is the world's first full-size PICMG 1.3 product to support socket LGA775 processors up to Pentium 4 at speeds up to 3.8GHz." Source: electronicstalk.com
"EMS supplier Solectron Corp. said today that its Charlotte, N.C., site is the first manufacturing site of a tier 1 EMS supplier to gain IPC's RoHS certification. Solectron Charlotte was the beta test site for IPC -- Association Connecting Electronics Industries' Restrictions on Hazardous Materials (RoHS) Lead Free Electronics Assembly Process Capability." Source: reed-electronics.com
"Design Chain Associates, LLC announces that the only website dedicated to Chinas new law entitled "Administration on the Control of Pollution Caused by Electronic Information Products", otherwise known as "China RoHS", is now live and active. On www.chinarohs.com now you can find links to:
"EMA Design Automation, a provider of electronic design automation (EDA) solutions, today announced that it has integrated software from Omnify into its EDM environment to make the adherence to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliance directives even easier." Source: sdcexec.com
"A wide range of low-price standard connectors can now be delivered the next day in the UK, from a new service offered by interconnection specialist, GTK. The '2go' range of parts comprises 200 of the most popular line items in the company's portfolio - and all the parts are RoHS compliant, says the company." Source: electropages.com
"Cirronet's popular WIT2410 wireless OEM module is now shipping in full RoHS (Restrictions on Hazardous Substances) compliance, joining the WIT2450 in the company's growing lead-free product line. Cirronet RoHS-compliant products use the original part number with a "-G" added at the end, meaning that the RoHS-compliant WIT2410 is part number WIT2410M2-G. Cirronet customers with orders already placed for the non-RoHS compliant WIT2150 can change those orders to the RoHS compliant module, which sells at the same price." Source: businesswire.com
"Design Chain Associates has developed a new service designed to help electronics OEMs ensure their ability to continue to develop and produce RoHS-compliant products. Although the electronics industry has spent an inordinate amount of time, effort, and money to make sure products comply with the upcoming implementation date of 1st July 2006 for the European Union's RoHS Directive, far less attention has been paid to remaining compliant after the date has come and gone. RoHS compliance must become part of how electronics OEMs operate, which is conceptually no different than having to comply with other legal and safety requirements that already exist, such as the EU's CE mark or the USA's FCC rules part 15." Source: electronicstalk.com
"The VersaLogic PC/104-Plus ‘Lynx’ board is now fully RoHS compliant says UK-based technical representative and distributor Sarsen Technology. According to Sarsen the board was developed after considerable research and testing with lead-free components, solder, and new manufacturing processes. In addition, VersaLogic worked closely with its vendors to evaluate and certify the plating of all components in order to address tin whisker concerns in long-term applications." Source: cieonline.co.uk
"Corning Inc. is trying to do its part to ensure that future liquid crystal displays are not harmful to the environment. Corning has launched what it claims is the first LCD glass substrate free of heavy metals. Called Eagle XG, the glass is formulated without arsenic, antimony, and barium--- all metals often present in existing LCD glass formulations. The company has for years been trying to phase out the use of heavy metals to achieve lighter, thinner glass, but now also believes the new glass formulation will help it keep with a tightening of environmental regulations associated with the impending Restrictions of the Use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive." Source: eetimes.com
"Genesis Electronics Manufacturing, Inc. ("GEM") announced that it is now accepting factory orders to provide lead free & RoHS compliant electronic manufacturing services to OEM customers." Source: emsnow.com
"Elitegroup Computer Systems, Inc. (ECS), a computer hardware and notebook manufacturer, is releasing a RoHS compliant motherboard designed around Intel Viiv Technology. The 945G-M3 Micro-ATX M/B offers a powerhouse of digital media features and performance, utilizing the full capabilities of the Intel 945G Express chipset and Intel ICH7DH South Bridge. The 945G-M3 is one of several new ECS motherboards manufactured to full RoHS compliance. Using Intel's Viiv technology, it not only brings digital entertainment anywhere, but also represents an affordable, solid platform with great connectivity that users and content developers can grow with." Source: ciol.com
"Europe's electronic waste and hazardous substances legislation "is failing before it begins", according to environmental consultant eco3. The UK firm said the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive are being impemented in widely differing ways across Europe, leading to confusion and inequality. “The WEEE regulations allow each European country to interpret the legislation slightly differently, resulting in different rules in different countries. For example, some countries require a visible fee to be charged when a product is sold, others don’t. Some countries define products in different ways, and the definition of key terms in RoHS differ from one country to another," said Mark Shayler, director of eco3." Source: electronicsweekly.com
"Pro-face AGP3000 Series includes 19 models of graphic operator interface terminals ranging from 6 in. monochrome and TFT displays to 15 in. HMI displays. The new AGP3000 Series is a complete line of graphic operator interface panels created from the ground up for high performance and high reliability with new self-guiding, intuitive screen editor software. The AGP3000 is one of the first-to-market in HMIs meeting the new ROHS "lead-free" European directive along with global certifications including CE, UL, cUL, Class I, Division 2 ratings." Source: thomasnet.com
"By July 1, 2006, all electrical and electronic items (as defined by RoHS) available in Europe will be required to comply with low-ppm levels for six restricted substances. The major impact is the limit of 1,000 ppm applied to lead content, as this requires a wholesale change to electronic PCB soldering processes and materials. There still are challenges for manufacturers of mission-critical products arising from two trends of lead-free production. First, commercial assemblies need to transition to lead-free. Second, the reflow medium will typically be based on SnAgCu (SAC); therefore, components must be compatible with this material and must retain reverse-compatibility with tin/lead systems that have not yet converted. The ideal, low-cost termination material for passive components meeting the above requirements is matte-tin." Source: smt.pennnet.com
"Electronics Yorkshire, TWI and Envirowise have teamed up to run a two-day convention focusing on forthcoming RoHS and WEEE legislation. 'Compliance means Business' is scheduled to take place at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate on April 5 and 6 and has been designed to raise awareness within the electronics industry that compliance with the new European directives on WEEE and RoHS can create new business opportunities. It will also provide greater understanding of all the issues that will impact on the electronics industry." Source: eetuk.com
"The industry is racing against the clock to meet the requirements of European legislation, called the Requirements of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), that will go into effect on July 1, 2006. The legislation will ban several substances including lead and lead bearing solder. In addition, California�s laws, mirroring RoHS legislation, take effect in early 2007, while China has recently passed similar legislation. Critical lead free issues include new alloys and material evaluations, inspection changes, tin whiskers, lead free on advanced packages, like chip scale and flip chip, and reliability. Assembly operations will face increased assembly costs, perhaps 15% higher, and will be impacted in areas beyond manufacturing, such as field support, sales, marketing and training." Source: reed-electronics.com
"PANALYTICAL’S comprehensive range of XRF systems and reference standards enable industry to meet the challenges set by the new EU RoHS and WEEE directives and to monitor levels of regulated substances covered by other important environmental legislation such as ELV (End-of-Life vehicles directive) and the EU packaging directive (EPD) as well as emerging legislations in other parts of the world." Source: ferret.com.au
"Imperial Connector Systems has developed a range of HDMI sockets for use in the digital display market. The range of 19-contact connectors is fully RoHS compliant for use in the European arena and samples for preproduction testing are available without delay. These small outline 5Gbit/s (maximum) connectors are suitable for high definition uncompressed video and multi-channel audio applications and use a fraction of the board space (around 40%) of a SCART socket, making them ideal for set-top boxes, DVD players and high definition televisions." Source: electronicstalk.com
"Betatherm's L series can be used for any general temperature measurement, control or compensation application where interchangeability and low cost are major considerations. The L series is available in two types, A and B. The A type can be used in standard probe assemblies. RoHS compliant." Source: laboratorytalk.com
:Synapsis Technology, Inc., a provider of environmental compliance and product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions, today announced the next release, version 2.5, of its patentpending Environmental Material Aggregation and Reporting System (EMARS(TM)), which completely supports the IPC-1752 Material Declarations standard for the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directive. "The IPC-1752 materials directive is a critical industry standard to help control the data formats and forms involved in complying with RoHS," said German Avila, Synapsis' product manager for environmental products. "Thoroughly understanding IPC-1752 is extremely important for OEMs and suppliers trying to streamline their processes and reduce the cost and burden of exchanging data related to RoHS. Our new version of EMARS has been designed to support IPC-1752 and ease the pain of gathering, organizing and storing the mass amounts of data involved in compliance." Source: chron.com