The development of the EZ-ZONE platform came at the same time that the Restriction of Hazardous Waste (RoHS) directive was taking effect. So ensuring that EZZONE was fully compliant with RoHS regulations was a critical aspect of its development. RoHS is a European directive that takes effect in July of 2006. It bans or restricts the use of several substances including lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Although RoHS is taking effect in Europe, Watlow is a global provider and is therefore proactively reviewing and addressing the new regulations across the board. "Watlow customers and distributors can rest assured that EZ-ZONE meets all RoHS regulations," says Marty Wenger, senior engineer. Achieving compliance was -- like it is for many companies -- not a small undertaking. Watlow's first step was data mining -- making sure that every component of EZ-ZONE was compliant by reviewing and confirming the manufacturer's data sheets. The paperwork aspects took many months, especially considering that Watlow has 9000 parts on its approved parts list, nearly 300 of those used in EZZONE. Equally as important were the changes that had to take place in the manufacturing process and on the plant floor. Previously, Watlow used tin lead sodder. But RoHS compliance called for the shift to tin silver copper, which is "a complete change in the way we do things," Wenger explains. "The sodder change required new equipment, new materials and new processes," Wenger says. "Compliance in each manufacturing facility had to be carefully planned and properly executed." He adds that since many Watlow plants are "full factory" and manufacture many products, it was critical that processes were in place to eliminate the mixing up of parts -- some of which require RoHS compliance and some that don't. Each Watlow manufacturing site had a team that reviewed every part number, with the assistance of its suppliers, to determine if the part was RoHS compliant. Parts that were not compliant were modified, replaced or eliminated. While RoHS was developed for the European Union, similar requirements are being developed in Japan, China and Canada, and are also headed to the U.S. via California. It is therefore important that Watlow is proactively addressing these compliance issues now. For more status updates, complaint parts listing, material declaration sheets and other RoHS compliance information, visit www.watlow.com.
|
