Ceram is offering manufacturers wishing to comply with the new RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) Directive a useful resource in the form of testing services
From 1 July 2006, all UK manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment are banned from placing products on the market that contain concentrations of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants in excess of 0.1% (by weight ).
This means that every component of an electrical or electronic appliance has to be tested, including non-electrical parts, for example cable ties and plastic cases.
Ceram's Testing and Environmental division (CTE) is able to analyse for all restricted substances to the required limits to ensure that products meet the requirements and more importantly, do so while still retaining their functionality.
The analytical services offered by experts at Ceram also mean that, should failures be discovered in products, the source of the failure can be identified and thus allow manufacturers to devise modifications in order to rectify the situation.
Tony Kinsella of CTE believes that the directive is set to have a huge impact on the industry and on manufacturing processes within it.
He comments: "Businesses that fail to comply with the directive could be liable to prosecution and subsequently to significant financial loss.
"Those that can demonstrate from the outset that they have taken a proactive approach to meeting the specified concentration levels not only avoid this scenario, they also show a commitment to the environment that puts them ahead of their competitors."
