RoHS : SOC

What is RoHS?

RoHS is “Restriction Of Hazardous Substances”.

What is SOC?

SOC is “Substance Of Concern”.

The restricted substances are : Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg), Hexavalent chrome (Cr⁶⁺). PBB and PBDE are also considered as restricted substances.

Following limits are allowed:

Substance	Limits in PPM
Lead (Pb)	1000
Cadmium (Cd)	100
Mercury (Hg)	1000
Hexavalent chrome (Cr6+)	1000
PBB	1000
PBDE	1000

These substances were banned in Japan, Europe way back in 2007/2008 with exemptions in some substances due to limitations.                                                                                         Below images are from Google.

                   

Steps to take to confirm if the parts are containing SOC / ROHS.

• -        List out all material BOM used in product / component.
• -        Test from external laboratory and confirm the PPM or % of SOC / RoHS content.
• -        If content is greater than specified requirement, takeup with supplier and ask to RoHS free / Leadfree components.
• -        On developing the parts / components, check once again and confirm the contents.

-        RoHS content is checked periodically, usually once a year.

-        Normally, exporting components / products out of country need to fulfil the requirements of respective country.

-        ELV (End of Life Vehicle) and REACH (Restriction, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals) is followed in some countries, namely in Europe.

ELV :                          

                                                                                                                           Image from Google

Substance	Property	Environmental Effect	Effect on Health	Automotive Examples
Lead	1)Heavy, soft metal, with a bluish metallic look. 2)Highly toxic substance. 3)Indestructible and non-biodegradable	1)Poor disposal method of substance containing lead. 2)Lead in fuels after burn causes air pollution	1)Rise in blood pressure. 2)Kidney damage. 3)Disorder of nervous systems.	1)Battery 2)PVC, Rubber 3)Plastic parts 4)Grease 5) Sealants
Cadmium	1)Heavy Metal 2)It is soft and silvery colour	1)Poor waste   disposal methods and leaks at hazardous waste sites. 2)Its particles enter air when we burn coal for energy and household waste.	1)If we consume food contaminated with cadmium it can irritate our digestive system and cause vomiting and diarrhea. 2)If inhaled it can damage our lungs, kidneys and bone disease.	1)Motor brush 2)Relay / switches contact points 3)Plastic parts
Mercury	1) Heavy silvery toxic metallic element. The only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures.	1)Power plants, industrial boilers and incinerators are the sources of airborne mercury emissions. 2)Mercury in vaporize form enters air when old vehicles are burnt.	1)Mercury is highly toxic to the nervous systems. 2)Accumulates in tissues of fish and other organisms through mercury-contaminated waters, including humans. 3)Fishing-eating animals may suffer premature death, weight loss and others.	1) Fluorescent lamps
Hexavalent Chromium	1)It is used in various industrial processes. (plating, leatherworking, paper manufacturing and dying) 2)Chromium is used during manufacturing of steel, leather and textile manufacturing.	1)Through coal combustion, chromium will enter air and through waste disposal chromium will end up in soils.	1)Chromium can alter genetic materials and cause cancer. 2)Plants when they absorb chromium concentrations will die after certain limits.	1)Nut/bolt 2)Anti-corrosion surface treatment

If you have any queries with respect this article, please mail: qualitykatta@gmail.com

PPAP - Production Part Approval Process : Levels of PPAP.

There are 5 levels of PPAP. They are summarized as below :

Note : Table taken from PPAP 4th Edition.

Level 1:

Here we need to submit Part Submission Warrant (PSW) only. If you are supplying aesthetic product to your customer, appearance item clause is applicable. Hence you need to additionally submit AAR (Appearance Approval Report).

Level 2:

The requirement under this level is to submit Part Submission Warrant and limited supporting data submitted to customer. Here limited supported data refers to the following minimum documents :

• Product drawing. 
• Layout Inspection report / Inspection report or PDI as per discussion with customer. Submission of type of dimensional report depends on customer expectations. 
• Lab Test reports (Validation reports) in case of assembly product and as per requirements mentioned in the product drawing.
• Raw material test certificates (RMTC). Now a days, customer demand third party reports (NABL) for material confirmation.
• Sample products (as applicable)
• Appearance approval report, if applicable.
• NABL scope of the lab where the tests are conducted certifying and assuring customer that the testing is carried out from qualified laboratory.
• Part Submission Warrant. 

Level 3:

PPAP 4th Edition mentions "Warrant with product samples and complete supporting data to be submitted to the customer." This level 3 is normally considered as default level in automotive industries.  Following are required as part of Level 3 requirements.

• Customer Approved product drawing. 
• Design records. If part is proprietary, drawings are not submitted to customer.
• ECN related documents, if applicable
• Design FMEA (DFMEA)
• Process FMEA (PFMEA)
• Process Flow Diagram (Process Flow Chart)
• Control Plan
• Layout Inspection
• SPC Studies (Pp, Ppk studies)
• MSA Studies
• Appearance Approval Report, if applicable
• Qualified Lab documents (NABL scope of the lab wherein the tests were conducted)
• Product Validation Reports (as applicable)
• Material test reports (Third party lab reports)
• Checking Aids is to be retained at supplier end, but should be part of PPAP document. In almost all cases, customer demand this as additional requirement and wants supplier to submit the checking aids document.
• Customer Specific Requirement Records
•  Part Submission Warrant (PSW)
• Samples products
• Master Sample is retained at supplier (sign off done by customer, as applicable)
• Bulk requirement checklist, if applicable.

Level 4:

PPAP standard mentions "Part submission Warrant and other requirements specified by the customer."  In this level, supplier has to maintain all the documents specified in Level 3 at own premises and only Part Submission Warrant is to be submitted. 

If bulk material is applicable, then bulk material checklist also needs to accompanied along with PSW. The documents are to be submitted to customer on request as and when demanded.

Level 5:

PPAP Standard mentions " Par Submission Warrant with product samples and complete supporting data reviewed at supplier premises. Here the supplier need not submit any document to customer. During PPAP audit, customer audits the process and reviews the documents and sign off PSW if all requirements are fulfilled.

Hope all is understood, if any queries, please revert with your queries on qualitykatta@gmail.com.