Legislation Overview
RoHS, also known as Lead-Free, stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances. RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC restricts the use of six hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products. All applicable products in the EU market after July 1, 2006 must pass RoHS compliance. RoHS impacts the entire electronics industry.
WEEE stands for Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment. WEEE Directive 2002/96/EC mandates the treatment, recovery and recycling of electric and electronic equipment (90% ends up in landfills). All applicable products in the EU market after August 13, 2006 must pass WEEE compliance and carry the "Wheelie Bin" sticker.
Pulsonix and RoHS/WEEE
Like other EDA vendors, the introduction of new legislation in Europe for the RoHS and WEEE directives has little effect on Pulsonix and the PCB design environment.
Pulsonix already supports two main features that are considered to be new technology in the design process for lead-free soldering: jumpers and rounded rectangle pads.
Interactive jumpers and flying wires are fully supported in Pulsonix. Jumper length control, insulation properties and landing vias/pads can be used allowing greater user flexibility.
Pad shapes frequently used in lead-free soldering are already available in Pulsonix. These aid the process of lead free soldering during the manufacturing stage. This style of pads is primarily associated with surface mount technology land patterns. The IPC council has stated "land patterns in the newly released IPC-7351 (superseding IPC-SM-782) meet requirements for surface-mount assembly with either SnPb or lead-free solders. When IPC-7351 design rules are applied, lead-free SMT assembly does not differ from eutectic SnPb soldering, and dimensional modifications are not required."
For more information on the RoHS and WEEE directives click here