Basics of a Membrane Switch

ESD in Workplace

RoHS and WEEE

RoHS & WEEE

RoHS, pronounced as RO-HAAS, stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances. RoHS, also known as Directive 2002/95/EC, originated in the European Union and restricts the use of six hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products. All applicable products in the EU market must pass RoHS compliance. RoHS impacts the entire electronics industry.

Any business that sells applicable electrical or electronic products, sub-assemblies or components directly to RoHS countries, or sells to resellers, distributors or integrators that in turn sell products to these countries, is impacted if they utilize any of the restricted materials.

The substances restricted under the RoHS directive include lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), hexavalent chromium (CrVI), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).

RoHS specifies maximum levels for the following six restricted materials:

Material	Maximum Level Allowed	Remarks
Lead (Pb):	< 1000 ppm	Lead is commonly used in the electrical and electronics industry in solder, lead-acid batteries, electronic components, cable sheathing and in the glass of cathode-ray tubes
Mercury (Hg)	< 100 ppm	Mercury is widely used metals in the production of electrical and electronic appliances and is concentrated in batteries, switches and thermostats, and fluorescent lamps
Cadmium (Cd)	< 100 ppm	Cadmium is used in electronic equipment, car batteries, and pigments
Hexavalent Chromium (Cr VI)	< 1000 ppm	While some forms of chromium are non-toxic, Chromium VI can produce toxic effects
Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB)	1000 ppm	These are flame retardants found in electronic and electrical appliances. They have been found in indoor dust and air through evaporation from plastics
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)	: < 1000 ppm	These are also flame retardants found in electronic and electrical appliances. Combustion of printed wiring boards release toxic emissions

For PCB industries main concern is (1) Lead Free PC boards, (2) Lead free PCB assemblies and (3) RoHS compliant components.

Reliance Products are fully RoHS compliant. Reliance PC boards are made with Lead Free Solder finishes such as ENIG, Lead Free Solder, OAS, Immersion Tin, and Immersion silver. Our PCB assemblies are made with Lead free SMT Solder Paste and Lead Free thru hole soldering. RoHS compliant production is done in totally segregated area from Non-RoHS (leaded solder) production.


WEEE stands for Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment. WEEE Directive 2002/96/EC, originated in the European Union, mandates the treatment, recovery and recycling of electric and electronic equipment. It was estimated that prior to WEEE directive about 90% of e-waste was ending up in landfills. This is a part of a legislative initiative to solve the problem of huge amounts of toxic e-waste.

All applicable products in the EU market must pass WEEE compliance and carry the "Wheelie Bin" sticker.

WEEE directive mainly applies to electronics OEMs, typically our customers. You need to have some short of a plan to recycle your product at the end of its life cycle.

You may find more detailed info on RoHS & WEEE from Wikipedia by clicking the link below.

Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive