Specifying And Building Rohs Compliant Membrane Switches The majority of membrane switches built today are RoHS compliant. That is because the materials most commonly used to construct switches are polymer thick film inks, graphic inks,Cheap Polo Ralph Lauren, pressure sensitive adhesives and polyester film. None of these contain restricted materials. Membrane switches that are built with printed circuit boards, copper flexible circuits, and use connectors or flame retardant materials may be restricted.What does RoHS Compliance Mean?RoHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances and restricts the use of hazardous substances commonly found in electronic equipment. The RoHS standard was fully implemented in Europe in July 2006. The purpose of the regulation was to reduce exposure of employees to the recognized health dangers of these substances. A companion directive, WEEE (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment) controls how electric and electronic devices are handled and recycled. If you need to be RoHS compliant, you should also ensure WEEE compliance. For reference: www.weeeregistration.com/weee-directive.html.The following elements are restricted:1)Lead (Pb), 2)Cadmium (Cd), 3)Mercury (Hg),4)Hexavalent chromium (Hex-Cr),Polo Outlet,5)Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), and 6)Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).Cadmium and Hexavalent chromium are restricted to be less than 0.01% of the substance by weight. A material cannot contain more that 0.1% when measured by weight of Lead, PBB, and PBDE, Any RoHS compliant component must contain 100 ppm or less of mercury which cannot be added to the component.ConnectorsLead and cadmium are commonly used in metal connectors, solder tabs and stakes. Membrane switch assemblies with these types of components would not be ROHS compliant. Also any lead solder used to connect the membrane switch in any way to a printed circuit board or copper circuitry will not meet the criteria. There are a variety of RoHS compliant connectors available. Any component assembly done on a membrane switch product could be a problem. The entire assembly material list must be checked to make sure all components and connection materials are RoHS compliant.Verifying RoHS ComplianceMost material suppliers that Membrane Switch Manufacturers use will provide a MSDS (material safety data sheet) that lists the material contents. These documents are generally accepted as proof of content. In cases where the material supplier needs to protect their proprietary formula, a separate document certifying that all components are RoHS complaint can be obtained.Doing an internet search of material part numbers in question can also provide an effective way to get the necessary material documents. Manufacturers are required to provide MSDS sheets but sometimes its easier and quicker to get them from the distributor.Customers may request a certificate of compliance from a membrane switch manufacturer. This forces the supplier to perform the needed research to ensure that no restricted materials are used in the membrane switch assembly.In general,Ralph Lauren Outlet Online, the best approach is proactively work with your suppliers in understanding the material choices and make sure that the design uses RoHS compliant components.