SGS Introduces Expanded EU ROHS Exemptions for Annex III and IV

TAIPEI 241, Taiwan - June 30, 2014 - PRLog -- 2 exemptions were added to Annex III and 6 exemptions were added to Annex IV.
On 20 May 2014 a total of 8 amendments to the RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU were published. The Directive numbers of the issued amendments are 2014/69/EU to 2014/76/EU. Directives 2014/72/EU and 2014/76/EU deal with the exemptions of lead and mercury. Both directives expand the exemptions of the general RoHS Annex III whereas the other amendments affect RoHS Annex IV. Directive 2014/72/EU becomes the 41st exemption of Annex III and Directive 2014/76/EU expands the 4th exemption and becomes 4(g).

In accordance with Article 4(1) of the RoHS recast Member States shall ensure that electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market. Because of various reasons the exemptions specific to medical devices and monitoring and control instruments are necessary. Annex IV is separated into 3 groups. They are:
- Group 1: Equipment utilizing or detecting ionizing radiation,
- Group 2: Sensors, detectors and electrodes,
- Group 3: Others.

These exemptions were revised during this serial amendment. 6 new exemptions from the point 35 to 40 were added to the third group. In addition all the amendments have accompanied expiry dates.

According to the Article 2(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ...), Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with RoHS recast by the last day of the sixth month after these amendments entering into force at the latest.

SGS has consolidated all new exemptions below.

RoHS Exemptions to Restriction in Article 4(1) Added to Annex III

No. 4(g) – Directive 2014/76/EU – Exemptions: Mercury in hand crafted luminous discharge tubes used for signs, decorative or architectural and specialist lighting and light-artwork, where the mercury content shall be limited as follows:
(a) 20 mg per electrode pair + 0,3 mg per tube length in cm, but not more than 80 mg, for outdoor applications and indoor applications exposed to temperatures below 20 °C;
(b) 15 mg per electrode pair + 0,24 mg per tube length  in cm, but not more than 80 mg, for all other indoor applications.
Expires on 31 December 2018

No. 41 – Directive 2014/72/EU – Exemptions: Lead in solders and termination finishes of electrical and electronic components and finishes of printed circuit boards used in ignition modules and other electrical and electronic engine control systems, which for technical reasons must be mounted directly on or in the crankcase or cylinder of hand-held combustion engines (classes SH:1, SH:2, SH:3 of Directive 97/68/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council).
Expires on 31 December 2018

RoHS Exemptions to Restriction in Article 4 (1) Specific to Medical Devices and Monitoring and Control Instruments Added to Annex IV

No. 35 – Directive 2014/75/EU – Exemptions: Mercury in cold cathode fluorescent lamps for back-lighting liquid crystal displays, not exceeding 5 mg per lamp, used in industrial monitoring and control instruments placed on the market before 22 July 2017.
Expires on 21 July 2024.

No. 36 – Directive 2014/74/EU – Exemptions: Lead used in other than C-press compliant pin connector systems for industrial monitoring and control instruments.
Expires on 31 December 2020.
May be used after that date in spare parts for industrial monitoring and control instruments placed on the market before 1 January 2021.

No. 37 – Directive 2014/73/EU – Exemptions: Lead in platinized platinum electrodes used for conductivity measurements where at least one of the following conditions applies:
(a) wide-range measurements with a conductivity range covering more than 1 order of magnitude (e.g. range between 0,1 mS/m and 5 mS/m) in laboratory applications for unknown concentrations;
(b) measurements of solutions where an accuracy of +/– 1 % of the sample range and where high corrosion resistance of the electrode are required for any of the following:
(i) solutions with an acidity < pH 1;
(ii) solutions with an alkalinity > pH 13;
(iii) corrosive solutions containing halogen gas;
(c) measurements of conductivities above 100 mS/m that must be performed with portable instruments.
Expires on 31 December 2018.

No. 38 – Directive 2014/71/EU – Exemptions: Lead in solder in one interface of large area stacked die elements with more than 500 interconnects per interface which are used in X-ray detectors of computed tomography and X-ray systems.
Expires on 31 December 2019.
May be used after that date in spare parts for CT and X-ray systems placed on the market before 1 January 2020.

No. 39 – Directive 2014/70/EU – Exemptions: Lead in micro-channel plates (MCPs) used in equipment where at least one of the following properties is present:
(a) a compact size of the detector for electrons or ions, where the space for the detector is limited to a maximum of 3 mm/MCP (detector thickness + space for installation of the MCP), a maximum of 6 mm in total, and an alternative design yielding more space for the detector is scientifically and technically impracticable;
(b) a two-dimensional spatial resolution for detecting electrons or ions, where at least one of the following applies:
 1) a response time shorter than 25 ns;
 2) a sample detection area larger than 149 mm2;
 3) a multiplication factor larger than 1,3 × 103.
(c) a response time shorter than 5 ns for detecting electrons or ions;
(d) a sample detection area larger than 314 mm2 for detecting electrons or ions;
(e) a multiplication factor larger than 4,0 × 107.
The exemption expires on the following dates:
(a) 21 July 2021 for medical devices and monitoring and control instruments;
(b) 21 July 2023 for in-vitro diagnostic medical devices;
(c) 21 July 2024 for industrial monitoring and control instruments.

No. 40 – Directive 2014/69/EU – Exemptions: Lead in dielectric ceramic in capacitors for a rated voltage of less than 125 V AC or 250 V DC for industrial monitoring and control instruments.
Expires on 31 December 2020.
May be used after that date in spare parts for industrial monitoring and control instruments placed on the market before 1 January 2021.

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