Technology transforms non-compliant RoHS parts into compliant ones

By Sally Cole Johnson, Contributing Writer -- Electronic Business, 6/13/2006

How will the electronics industry deal with the millions of dollars of inventory containing RoHS-banned substances once the Directive takes effect on July 1?

One possible solution: convert the non-compliant components into compliant ones.

That’s exactly what E-Certa, an independent RoHS compliancy service center, does. E-Certa strips the components back to remove the RoHS-banned substances and then substitutes a lead-free solder, according to Joel Deutsch, president of E-Certa. And for those of you with exempted or military applications still requiring leaded components, Deutsch says that E-Certa’s process can convert a lead-free product into a leaded one by stripping it back and putting on a leaded hot solder finish.

Deutsch also offers a word of caution. “Beware of companies that are just over-dipping factory new products into a SAC 305 acceptable solder and saying that you now have a converted product,” says Deutsch. “You will, in fact, pass x-ray fluorescence (XRF) testing by doing that, but you haven’t eliminated the lead. You have to take it back to its base metals to eliminate the RoHS-concerned elements,” he explains.

Yes, counterfeiting is done by covering up lead with another material and claiming it's lead-free. XRF doesn't usually pick up on this...and it's going to be a real problem, since that's how most countries will be checking in-coming components/product. Destructive testing shows what's underneath the outermost layer.

As a result of over-dipping, counterfeiting emerges as a legitimate concern for the entire industry. “Unfortunately, the way the RoHS Directive is written, many EU members will be using handheld XRF machines to inspect products entering their country,” Deutsch says. “Using handheld XRF machines on an over-dipped component is going to come up looking clean as can be. They will absolutely fail destructive testing, though, which will be the final method used in any litigation claims against faulty products.”

Still wondering if you can put your leftover, non-RoHS-compliant components on the market? The bottom line is that from the July 1, 2006 deadline on, all products you place on the market must be RoHS compliant. As the U.K.’s National Weights and Measure Laboratory puts it: “You place non-compliant products on the market at your own risk.” This means that any item of electrical or electronic equipment covered by the scope of RoHS needs to comply—regardless of whether it’s part of a line of products that existed before that date. Unless, of course, you feel confident you can win a debate of the meaning of “placed on the market” with a RoHS enforcement agency.