Do your CAD designs comply with RoHS?

[drawoh]

I don't know whether to file this here or in Pat's Pub, or under CAD somewhere. Not poisoning people seems to be ethical.

Does this Machine Design article read as weirdly to you as it does to me?

My product, documented with SolidWorks or some other 3D[ ]CAD, must meet RoHS. I suppose that if I attach the code "ROHS" to my filenames, you can scan down the assembly tree to see that all components comply with the standard. This does not protect the public, or you. Printed circuit boards and wiring probably are not designed and controlled within the 3D[ ]CAD. External vendors may claim that their products comply with RoHS, but your QA may know better. If you are not in control of your finalized documentation, someone way make modifications that take your product out of compliance.

I do not see a CAD management issue here. This provides some dull, stupid person a set of rules to follow, that may or may not work. You are in compliance with RoHS or any other standard if...

[ol]
[li]You did your job competently as a designer.[/li]
[li]You control the documentation. Manufacturing and sales can write ECRs. You decide what to do about it. Since you prepared a complete, high quality documentation package, there no danger control will be taken away from you.[/li]
[li]Your documentation specifies the RoHS requirement everywhere it matters - on manufacturing processes, on specification controls, etc. Changes that violate RoHS are clearly recognized at the source.[/li]
[li]QA has the authority to reject parts and processes that do not meet the standard. [/li]
[/ol]

--
JHG

 

[IRstuff]

Reads to me like a Charles Dickens deal, i.e., someone wanted 7 paragraphs, and they got 7 paragraphs, and only one of which specifically addressed ROHS, and it only talked about , as you indicated, naming convention. Seems like fluff piece to me, since you really can't:
> have a "ROHS" compliant CAD design, since that's all electrons and magnetic or charge domains in memory
> have a traceable document trail that proves your CAD design will implement ROHS compliance. How does anyone know from the CAD drawing that a particular surface treatment or component is ROHS compliant?

TTFN
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Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

 

[MacGyverS2000]

A conceptual design cannot be RoHS compliant, only a physical product. To think otherwise would be worthy of an MBA. The components that make up said design must be RoHS compliant, but the order sheet for those components is not.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[drawoh]

...
> have a traceable document trail that proves your CAD design will implement ROHS compliance. How does anyone know from the CAD drawing that a particular surface treatment or component is ROHS compliant?

CAD model, not document!

--
JHG

 

[MintJulep]

Article written about a subject written by someone who works for a company that provides services related to that subject = "infomercial".

Although in this case it's not very informative. And I wouldn't contract with the company to provide this service based on this article.

 

[TheTick]

Reads more like a bad ISO-compliance blurb than a bad RoHS-compliance blurb.

 

[IRstuff]

"CAD model, not document"

The CAD model only goes so far. Your procurement system must maintain the DOCUMENTS, such as SOW and spec, that carry forth the CAD model into the procurement itself, and then into the delivery documents like CoC.

TTFN
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[KENAT]

Fluff, my guess is having an attribute in an ERP system or similar is more efficient.

That said, back in 2006 ish we did tweak some standard drawing notes to address ROHS.

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[ornerynorsk]

A CAD model, in and of itself, is not a complete spec. You MUST have a drawing to accompany that model to provide material callout, tolerancing, finishing, revision history, etc. Said drawing will then contain any RoHS notations and other such stuff. Sounds like the article was written by a newb. Like others have mentioned, enforcement of the reg via documentation trail and spot testing is completely outside of the realm of the model itself. Perhaps they want it proven that the model was generated on a RoHS compliant workstation? (sarcasm)

Similar to Kenat, we made the RoHS notation a part of our standard title block, and our vendors know that they'll be dropped like a hot potato if a spot check ever fails lab.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[ewh]

No, you don't HAVE to have a drawing accompany the model, per ASME Y24.42-2012.
Agreed, a drawing noting the items you list is usually preferred and included, but it is not mandatory to meet ASME specifications. All of that information can be carried in model space.

“Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.”
-Dalai Lama XIV

 

[KENAT]

Ditto ewh, only really works in an integrated supply chain though for the foreseeable future. The rest of us are probably best of with at least a partial 'drawing' for a while yet.

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[drawoh]

ewh,

Somewhere, something has to be written down, and a form that can be reviewed by engineering and access by purchasing. A rectangular 2D[ ]drawing provides ample room for notes specifying RoHS or whatever other specification matters to you. You can add RoHS compliance to the metadata of your 3D[ ]model. This can be used to populate your ERP BOM. Otherwise, this information is hard to access without the 3D[ ]CAD software or a viewer. When you communicate through computers, the you look for the lowest common denominator. In most offices, that is Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF.

We are not talking about minimum compliance to a standard. We are talking about not screwing up.

--
JHG

 

[KENAT]

drawoh, while I believe it's sometimes over stated, some of the big boys with integrated supply chains etc. (i.e. they can beat their vendors up to do exactly what they want) tru model only is used ewh isn't wrong.

Like I said though, for the unwashed masses some level of drawing is probably going to be required for a while yet.

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(probably not aimed specifically at you)
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[ewh]

drawoh,
I do not disagree with what you are stating, just disagreeing that a drawing is MANDATORY (per ASME). There are many programs out there that unify integrated supply chains, but it requires commitment, investment and effort by all parties involved to make the system work without drawings.
3D viewers are becoming quite common, inexpensive (even free) and getting better all the time.
(Thanks for covering my back, KENAT!)

“Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.”
-Dalai Lama XIV

 

[ornerynorsk]

ewh, you are correct. From my experience/point of view, drawings are almost always the medium of communication in fleshing out the model. Many companies, mine included, are loathe to shell out a lot of dollars for seats of CAD product, and even the viewers, for anyone not associated with engineering (purchasing, customer service, etc)

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[FreddyNurk]

Seems to sound like 'sternly worded note on a drawing' as someone here so eloquently put it previously.

A lot of this seems to be the same issues as details on construction drawings and whether there was a traceable means of telling whoever assembled / built / manufactured the widget that they needed to do something.

The OP correctly alludes to the consideration that unless there's some sort of verification process, then RoHS by itself doesn't mean much. Disclosure gets fun when it gets established that lowest bidder / tenderer noted that their equipment wasn't compliant and someone agreed to deviate from the specification / note / standard.