Halogens are a group of six chemical elements. The substances Fluorine, Bromine and Chlorine are relevant for electromechanical products, the other three elements (Iodine, Astatine, Unuseptium) are insignifant for technical applications.
Especially in the case of fire, Bromine and Chlorine may form corrosive and/or toxic compounds. For this reason, the demand for halogen-free technology is increasing. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) defines halogen-free on the basis of Chlorine and Bromine (standard IEC 61249-2-21). Products are declared halogen-free if the following limits are met:
• 900 ppm Chlorine
• 900 ppm Bromine
• 1,500 ppm total halogens
SCHURTER strives to provide customers with halogen-free products. Halogens are mainly used as a flame retardant in plastics. Therefore, SCHURTER employs - wherever possible - plastics without halogenated flame retardants which offer comparable protection. SCHURTER uses additional materials which also contain halogens such as flux, adhesives, and lacquer. However, these substances are present in small quantities only and do not result in halogen content of the final product reaching critical limits.