As of 22 July 2017 specific industrial measurement and control equipment must comply with the requirements of Directive 2011/65/EU regarding the restriction of the use of specific hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (“the ROHS Directive”).

The exemption from the standards of the RoHS Directive for industrial measurement and control equipment expired on 22 July 2017. All the industrial measurement and control equipment that is placed on the EU market after this date, must meet the essential requirements of the RoHS Directive.

The RoHS Directive provides regulations on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (“EEA”). This Directive specifies the maximum concentration values of six substances tolerated by weight (in percentage) in homogeneous materials that have been manufactured in EEA. These substances are:

• lead;
• mercury;
• cadmium;
• hexavalent chrome;
• polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), and
• polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).

Within the EEA the RoHS Directive refers to all equipment dependent on electrical currents or electromagnetic fields in order to work properly, as well as to equipment for the generation, transfer and measurement of electrical currents and fields that is designed for use with a voltage rating not exceeding 1 000 volts for alternating current and 1 500 volts for direct current.

This Directive has been in force since 2 January 2013 and provides for CE marking and the EU declaration of conformity. For a limited number of applications which are specified in the RoHS Directive and its related annexes, exemptions are provided, including those for industrial measurement and control equipment until 22 July 2017. The RoHS Directive defines industrial measurement and control equipment as:

Measurement and control equipment that has been designed specifically for industrial and professional purposes.

From now on manufacturers, importers and distributors of industrial measurement and control equipment must see to it that their electrical and electronic devices meet the standards of the RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU by affixing a CE marking and presenting a EU Declaration of Conformity.

However, despite the expiration of the general exemption for the industrial measurement and control equipment, there are still some restrictions and other exempt applications in effect specifically in regard to measurement and control equipment. These restrictions and exempt applications are mentioned in annex IV of the RoHS Directive and for measurement and control equipment these include, among others, an exemption for lead in alloys as a superconductor or thermal conductor for the use in cryopool cooling heads (this restriction expires on 30 June 2021).

Certification Company offers your company further expert assistance with the performance of the complete product conformity procedures for your industrial measurement and control equipment according to the standards of the RoHS Directive as well as all other European CE marking requirements. We are able to perform RoHS tests and RoHS measurements according to the harmonised European RoHS standards. Please feel free to contact our experts either for free advice, to request an offer or to discuss any questions regarding RoHS analyses.