DAPC is fully equipped to manufacture your PCB designs to the International RoHS Standards.
What the RoHS Directive means?
Electrical and Electronic products and/or components produced without the intentional use of the six Hazardous Substances, in any raw materials, processing or assembly.
The two new EU legislation requirements include:
RoHS - European Union Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances for the Electrical and Electronic Equipment (2002/95/EC). It is a directive to remove six banned substances in electrical and electronic equipment and to contribute to the environmentally sound recovery and disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment. The Directive has been amended with the publication of 2003/11/EC and 2005/717/EC.
WEEE - Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (2002/96/EC). The Recycling of components containing Hazardous Substances will have to be removed from any end of life electrical and electronic equipment that is destined for a landfill, incineration or recovery.
In keeping with Industry requirements DAPC complies with the labeling of products and with their material content levels.
What are the six banned substances included in the RoHS Directive?
Lead (Pb)
Mercury (Hg)
Cadmium (Cd)
Hexavalent Chromium (Cr Vi)
Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBBs)
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs)
What has DAPC done to become RoHS compliant?
DAPC started manufacturing lead-free boards using Panasonic's R-1755 and Isola's IS410 as well as lead-free solder finishes of immersion gold and immersion silver. These boards can withstand the required processing temperatures for lead-free solder. DAPC has had UL approval on Panasonic's R-1755 and Isola's IS410 for over 2 years now in preparation for being RoHS compliant.
Being RoHS compliant not only means lead-free but that DAPC manufactures printed circuit boards to meet all the concentration levels for mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers at the homogenous level.
Customer Needs and DAPC Support
Dynamic & Proto Circuits Inc already has experience manufacturing printed circuit boards that meet RoHS Directives. However, we are constantly working to increase the number of options available to you, our customer. Asking for a RoHS printed circuit board is not enough. It is possible for a PCB to be RoHS compliant but not be suited for the elevated temperature stresses of lead-free assembly.
What does one need to do to ensure printed circuit boards meet RoHS Directives:
Specify "For Lead-Free Assembly"
Specify that the printed circuit board be manufactured with substrate materials that will support the use of Lead-free solder process for assembly
Specify that only RoHS compliant surface finish be applied to the printed circuit board
Specify only white or black nomenclature ink if nomenclature ink is required. (Coloured inks often contain lead, hexavalent chromium, and/or cadmium)
Lead-free Options
DAPC currently produces boards that are RoHS compliant. All our lead-free boards are manufactured using customer specified RoHS compliant materials and we offer the following surface finishes:
ENIG (Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold)
Electrolytic Ni/Au
Immersion Silver
Immersion Tin
OSP (Organic Surface Preservative)
Soft Wire-Bondalble Gold
Using these materials, the boards are able to withstand temperatures of 260 C and above. All soldermask colours are RoHS compliant as well.
Some Frequently Asked Questions About RoHS
What are the DAPC materials available for Lead-free?
Panasonic 1755/1650
ISOLA IS410 or IS420
NELCO N7000-1, N7000-2V0
NELCO N4000-11, -12, -13
ROGERS 4000 Series
Are there certain amounts of the banned substances allowed in a PCB?
To date, the maximum concentration of Cd (Cadmium) is 0.01% by weight of homogeneous material, and 0.1% by weight for the other five substances.
Are there any special design for manufacturability layout concerns (spacing, etc) when designing RoHS compliant boards?
No, unless there are impedance requirements that may change depending on the materials used in manufacturing the board. The design should provide for minimal passes through a wave solder or IR oven since the weight of heavy components and the exposure to higher temperatures can influence the performance of the circuit design.
Is there a cost increase on RoHS compliant circuit boards?
There is no increase in substrate material price however, finishes increase price per panel less than 5% over HASL.
Is there any increase in board fabrication time with a RoHS requirement?
The times to process lead-free materials may increase very slightly at the multilayer pressing stage. Significant differences may be noted in ENIG and Hard Ni/Au over processing HASL.
What do I need to specify in my engineering drawings to ensure that the boards are manufactured to be RoHS compliant?
Specify on drawing at a minimum "RoHS compliant for lead-free" and any other relative specs (material type or equivalent.)
Based on material used should recalculate any impedance values based on Dk values
Specify final finish required
Specify white or balck silkscreen
Can RoHS compliant boards also be assembled using leaded solder? Will standard solder "stick" to RoHS finish without elevated heat?
Leaded solder will solder to a lead-free prepared pad. You cannot be RoHS compliant using lead solder unless you meet one of the exemptions outlined in the directive. The industry has adopted an allowance of less than 0.1% by weight of the final product. When solder is a must research would be required to ensure compliance with the RoHS Directive.
Are there any special markings on the boards that would indicate RoHS compliance?
At present there are no identifying marks as all our boards are manufactured using RoHS compliant materials. However, if a customer has a specific request, we can accomodate that request.
Would DAPC provide a Declaration of Conformity with each RoHS compliant board manufactured?
DAPC is already providing a Declaration of Conformity stating the board is RoHS compliant.
Has DAPC invested in the factory to assist with manufacturing RoHS compliant boards?
DAPC has invested significantly in new equipment and process review in preparation for the July 1, 2006 deadline. We've also dedicated an internal engineering resource to assist you in designing boards that are manufacturable to RoHS standards and in addition are reliable.
For more information on DAPC and the RoHS Directive, please refer to our brochure.
RoHS(PDF)
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