Focus on Reducing Lead Content
With the latest EU and REACH legislations, Lead has been added to the SVHC list (substances of very high concern) which limits the amount of lead that can be used in the make-up of other materials and alloys, such as brass, steel and stainless steel.
Typically, lead is added to free-machining alloys to improve the machinability. In simple terms, the addition of lead causes material to chip away more easily when machined. Over the past 20-25 years, tin has been used to replace lead in some alloys, but tin can cause cracking under stress or in extreme temperatures which can be an issue.
Lead is also commonly used in electrical components, such as diodes, chipsets, transistors and power supplies and commonly have more than 0.1% inside them. However, as these parts are not in human contact under normal operation this is accepted under concession.
