Brady complies with RoHS and lead-free labels

Brady has been certifying its products for compliance with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) legislation passed by the European Parliament and Council of the European Union that will take effect on July 1, 2006.

This legislation mandates that new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than designated maximum allowable levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants will not be allowed to enter the EU market. It is currently estimated that approximately 30 per cent of contract manufacturers will not be in compliance by the deadline.

Brady, a worldwide manufacturer of high performance identification materials and specialty tapes, has been conducting exhaustive testing of its products to ensure that all materials are compliant with the new legislation. This includes tracing any materials used through the supply chain and certifying that they are all compliant with the Directive.

Brady supplies label stock to OEM manufacturers that are used for circuit-board assemblies. In addition to meeting the requirements of the RoHs directive, Brady’s complete line of polyimide label stock can also be used at the higher temperatures that are now required in the manufacturing process when using lead-free solder.

‘Brady has invested substantial resources to ensure that all of our materials and those used throughout our supply chain will be in compliance with the RoHS Directive. We have educated our staff thoroughly on the components of this legislation so they can answer any compliance questions and address any issues or concerns that may arise,’ said Dave Walmsley, European market development manager at Brady.

He continued: ‘Although the RoHS legislation may seem to be some months away, many products are currently in production using materials containing lead. These products will not meet the compliance standards and will not be allowed to be sold in the EU.

‘This legislation is very important and will have a far-reaching effect on all manufacturers. Our OEM customers can be certain that materials that are purchased from Brady will meet or exceed the compliance criteria.’

Although not compulsory, Brady also advises customers to identify RoHS compliant parts, and has produced three labels of different sizes for this purpose, two featuring lettering describing either lead-free or RoHS compliance, and the third showing the lead free symbol. The compliant material used is B-7541.

Since there is no regulation, there are no restrictions on the language or colors used on these labels, and end users are able to choose a customized solution.