RP Abrasives earns RoHS 2 certification for stainless steel passivation

RP Abrasives, a Rochester, N.H., metal finishing company specializing in passivation, has been found compliant with the European Union’s newly adopted Directive 2011/65/EC, also known as RoHS 2. The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive requires that manufactured products sold to and distributed within the EU are certified as free of six hazardous materials: lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ether.

In accordance with the directive, each process involved in the manufacture of the following products must be tested and certified according to RoHS and RoHS 2 requirements: large and small household appliances; IT and telecommunications equipment; consumer equipment; lighting equipment; electronic and electrical tools; toys, leisure, and sports equipment; medical devices; monitoring and control instruments; automatic dispensers; and semiconductor devices.

Passivation removes free iron from stainless steel to help increase the steel’s rust resistance and render it passive. RP Abrasives uses a citric acid bath in conjunction with a proprietary process that guarantees RoHS and RoHS 2 compliance, while also meeting required ASTM A-967 and AMS 2700 industry standards.