Simplification is Our Innovation

Information Regarding RoHS Compliance Status

Radiall has a full range of coaxial electro-mechanical switches with more than 40,000 different part numbers based on a modular concept called RAMSES (Radiall Modular System for Electro-mechanical Switches).

All coaxial electro-mechanical switches currently manufactured by Radiall are RoHS compliant.

Historically, coaxial switch products manufactured before 2006 contained two raw materials prohibited by the RoHS European Directive:

  • Lead: contained in solder joints and tin plating;
  • Hexavalent chromium: a very small amount of Cr(VI) was included in the chemical conversion coating (alodine) applied to the aluminum bodies of most switches.

In 2006, Radiall modified the switches in an effort to comply with the RoHS directive. Lead free solder was implemented for all solder joints and tin plating was replaced with gold. The main visual impact of this modification was the color of the switches' solder terminals changed to gold plated from the previous white tin-lead plating.

The replacement of the chemical conversion coating took longer because there was no satisfactory solution available on the market in 2006. In addition, an exemption applicable to Radiall's switches was approved by the European Union for hexavalent chromium if used in applications where both corrosion protection and electromagnetic interference shielding had to be fulfilled.

Committed to fully meeting the RoHS directive, Radiall invested in the qualification of a new aluminum coating exempt from hexavalent chromium in 2007. The new coating is almost colorless compared to the previous chemical conversion coating which was “champagne” colored. Therefore, today the complete range of switches listed in the Coaxial Switching Products Catalog, 2008 edition, is fully RoHS compliant.