Since the 1st of January, 2008 all power transmission elements from the MULCO range have been meeting the requirements of the RoHS directive 2002/95/EC restricting the use of hazardous substances. As a result, a bilateral agreement for the adherence to the directive when using MULCO products in applications falling into the area of validity of RoHS, is no longer required.

The type of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products has been a rather subaltern problem of industrial production for decades. With the directive 2002/95/EC „Restriction of Hazardous Substance" of the European Parliament and the Council of January 2003 (in effect in Germany since July 2006) - briefly termed RoHS – this underwent a fundamental change.

Mulco has acknowledged the importance and reacted accordingly. Despite the fact that the timing belt pulleys and polyurethane timing belts produced by the Mulco group do not fall in the range of applications of the directive, Mulco started to look for substitutes for substances that were only permitted in certain small residual quantities or not any longer, as soon as the RoHS came into effect in Germany: Lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), hexavalent chromium (Cr (VR)), poly-brominated biphenyls (PBBs) as well as poly-brominated diphenylether (PBDEs).

For the Mulco range, this objective was achieved with the development of technically high-quality and forward-looking solutions. The standard aluminium AlCuMgPb according to DIN 1725 previously used for pulleys, having a lead content of approx. 1% was replaced by the lead-free EN AW-AlCu4MgSi(A) (EN AW-2017). Today, its rigidity even exceeds that of the previously used material.

When it comes to surface finishing, the Mulco Group is also open to the current subjects, such as sustainability and environment. In electroplating, yellow chromatising of aluminium was replaced by chromide Al1650 for thick layer passivation of aluminium. Thick layer passivation with nano particles on zinc surfaces replaces zinc and chromium plated steel. Banned chromium VI is substituted by chromium (III) coatings.

The Mulco timing belts Synchroflex, Breco and Brecoflex of polyurethane featuring high tensile strength and abrasion resistance, with embedded high strength steel cord tension members have always been conforming and still conform to RoHS regulations.

Hanover, August 2008

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