| Top Ten Myths About RoHS |
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Myth #1: |
I have plenty of time to figure this out later. |
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FACT |
RoHS takes effect in July 2006, so OEM manufacturers need to eliminate non-compliant inventories AND have “green” designs in production by January 2006. All design and conversion efforts therefore must be completed three to six months prior, leaving the first half of 2005 for completion of all part identification, compliance analysis and transition planning efforts. | |
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Myth #2: |
I don't sell products in Europe, so RoHS doesn't apply to me. |
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FACT |
The movement is global. In addition to the European Directives, legislation is current or pending in China, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and Hawaii; South Korea and Japan have effective voluntary programs. Electronics manufacturers have no desire to manage dual inventories and are already phasing out non-compliant components and parts. | |
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Myth #3: |
RoHS only applies to new products. |
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FACT |
The Directives also apply to existing products. OEM manufacturers must verify that all components used to build their products are RoHS-compliant, replace non-compliant parts as needed, or redesign the product if that is more cost-effective. Some products are being discontinued rather than being modified, and new product development timetables are being accelerated. | |
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Myth #4: |
My distributor can easily scrub my Bill of Materials for me. |
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FACT |
Distributors face an increasing number of customer inquiries and constantly changing parts availability schedules. With thousands of parts to trace and dual parts inventories to manage, they are struggling to provide basic, non-technical information for the product lines they carry. | |
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Myth #5: |
A material declaration form will cover me. |
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FACT |
There is no single approved form for documenting compliance; enforcement and policing will vary from country to country. It will be the responsibility of the product’s “producer” to ensure that all homogenous components within a product are RoHS-compliant, and to have adequate compliance documentation on file for each component. | |
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Myth #6: |
All I need to do is switch to a lead-free solder. |
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FACT |
Lead is only one of the restricted substances; your components and/or products must also be virtually free of hexavalent chromium, cadmium, mercury, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. And switching to a lead-free solder may be just the tip of the iceberg; can all your components withstand the higher required soldering temperature? | |
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Myth #7: |
Adding more weight to my product will make it RoHS-compliant. |
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FACT |
Some people think that since the Directives allow very small percentage concentrations of the restricted materials, they can make their products compliant by adding weight. But the allowable levels (0.1% for lead, 0.01% for cadmium) apply to each homogenous material (such as silicon or solder) within the product/component, NOT to the entire product/component. | |
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Myth #8: |
All RoHS-compliant parts will have new part numbers. |
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FACT |
A recent survey of component suppliers revealed that nearly half had no intention of issuing new part numbers. RoHS compliance may only be indicated on packaging or by manufacturing date range, which will create problems when returns of non-compliant parts flow back to distributors without the original packaging. | |
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Myth #9: |
My products are exempt from RoHS, so I don't have a problem. |
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FACT |
Although there are exemptions for military gear and some medical equipment, manufacturers of these products may need to convert to RoHS-compliant components anyway. Many global component manufacturers are discontinuing non-compliant versions of their components instead of managing costly duplicate inventories. | |
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Myth #10: |
"RoHS-compliant" and "lead-free" mean the same thing. |
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FACT |
An “RoHS-compliant” part is virtually free of lead, hexavalent chromium, cadmium, mercury, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in accordance with the European Directives. A “lead-free” part or component may or may not be RoHS-compliant. | |
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