What is “RoHS” and why is industry concerned with it?

The RoHS Directive stands for "the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment." This Directive bans the selling in the European Union market of new electrical and electronic equipment containing certain banned substances, with certain exceptions. This directive has been in effect since July 1, 2006. These banned or restricted substances include lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium (also known as chromium VI or Cr6+, and two plastic flame retardants, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE). The official text of the official EU RoHS directive can be found on the official website of the European Parliament at: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2003/l_037/l_03720030213en00190023.pdf .

What is “WEEE” and how does it relate to RoHS?

WEEE stands for Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment. The directive deals with the treatment, recovery, recycling and disposal of electric and electronic equipment. Presently, 90% of electronic waste ends up in landfills. All applicable products in the European Union disposed of after August 13, 2005 must comply with WEEE requirements. The official text of the official EU WEEE directive can be found on the official website of the European Parliament at http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2003/l_037/l_03720030213en00240038.pdf . While some Asian and Western hemisphere countries have discussed possible adoption of these directives, none have formally adopted them yet.

Futek products are RoHS Compliant

FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology supports and applauds the efforts of the European Parliament and its Member States to restrict the sale of certain banned substances (RoHS) and the subsequent disposal of those substances in waste landfills (WEEE). Futek has examined the directives in detail and the products produced by Futek and our suppliers. We have determined that all products offered at this time are in compliance with the RoHS directive and can continue to be sold within the EU without violating the RoHS Directive.

Justification for determination of compliance

This determination is based on the fact that all the products manufactured by Futek clearly fall under categories (8) Medical Devices or (9) Monitoring and Control Instruments as defined in Article 2, paragraph 1 of the RoHS Directive and Annex 1A of the WEEE Directive. While our products do contain some lead-based solder, these two categories are currently exempt from the RoHS Directives. Therefore, our sensors and instrumentation can continue to be sold within the EU without violating the RoHS Directive. In addition, the use of our sensors and instrumentation in large-scale stationary industrial machines under category (6) is also exempt from the RoHS requirements.

User/Manufacturer responsibility for maintaining compliance

OEM manufacturers must be aware that the end products that use our sensors and instrumentation must also fall under categories (8) and (9) mentioned above for their end product to be compliant with the RoHS Directive. However, if a manufacturer were to use our sensors or instrumentation in another application that is not exempt under the current regulations, such as an automatic dispensing machine (category 10), the application using our sensor would not be compliant with the RoHS requirements. So, while all Futek products are compliant for the intended purpose sold, the user/manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that the overall application using our sensors is also compliant.

Futek can provide Lead-Free sensors

While our entire product line is currently exempt from the directive, Futek is currently able to produce lead-free sensors for individual clients that may require them for special applications that require an absence of the banned substances.

Disposal of RoHS banned substances

Customers should further note that the exemption for categories 8 and 9 for the applicability of the RoHS directive does not apply to the WEEE directive. There are no exemptions for disposal of electronic products. All products must comply with the disposal requirements and our sensors will require special handling at time of disposal to avoid direct disposal in landfills.

Replacement of existing parts is not covered under RoHS

Customers should also keep in mind that repair or replacement of any existing part, and upgrades to existing machinery, are not covered by the RoHS Directive and customers may purchase our current products for that purpose without violating the RoHS Directive.

Elimination of lead from Futek products

Futek is working hard to eliminate any remaining banned substances from our products and has appointed a study committee to provide direction to implement a totally lead-free production line. This includes our internal processes as well as our subcontractors and suppliers. This initiative is under way and progress will be posted on our website. The only other banned substance used in our processes is cadmium plating on some of our connectors. We already offer an acceptable substitute for this connector for clients that require it. We will keep you apprised of the progress towards this goal in the RoHS compliance section of our website, www.futek.com . Any questions in the meantime can be addressed to your Futek Account Manager.