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Home > About Us > Headline News 2007 > Fuji Xerox Employs Lead-Free Shafts in All Copy Machines and Printers for the First Time in the Industry

Fuji Xerox Employs Lead-Free Shafts in
All Copy Machines and Printers
for the First Time in the Industry

Drives Reduction of Designated Hazardous Substances

TOKYO, November 8, 2007 – Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. will employ shafts that do not contain lead, a designated harmful substance, in all new copy machines and printers. This marks an industry-first.

Shafts are used in the paper feeders and other parts of copy machines and printers, and existing steel contains lead less than agreed levels of the RoHS DirectiveNote 1 to make it easy to process the shaft. To exceed this set standard level, Fuji Xerox aimed to completely eliminate lead, and sought to develop a processing method that was not hindered by the absence of lead, with the cooperation of material makers as well as processors from home and abroad.

To make its shafts, Fuji Xerox will use lead-free free-cutting steel (SUM24EZ) made by Nippon Steel Corporation. Fuji Xerox worked with polishing rod makers not only in Japan but also in China and Korea, machine processing manufacturers that make from polishing rods to shafts, as well as shaft coating experts, to develop the shaft that can be used as a component in its copy machines and printers.

The first copy machine will employ around 80 new lead-free shafts. The total weight of the shafts is approximately four kilograms per machine, with the weight of lead at zero, which compares to 12 grams when conventional steel materials are used.

Fuji Xerox continues its efforts to reduce designated hazardous substances.

Note 1:

RoHS Directive: Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment as proclaimed by the European Union and the Council. The Directive bans products containing more than agreed levels of six substances ? lead, mercury, chromium hexavalent, cadmium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE).

History of the Reduction of Hazardous Chemical Substances at Fuji Xerox

February 1999	:	Establishes “Hazardous Substances Reduction Team” within development department
June 2000	:	Introduces chrome-free surface-treated steel sheets with a chrome-free coating in high-speed copy machines
February 2001	:	Starts full-fledged implementation of “Green Procurement Guidelines” to bolster voluntary regulations for hazardous substances aimed at halving the amount of these substances in products with the cooperation of suppliers
May 2001	:	Fuji Xerox is the first in the industry to incorporate print boards with lead-free solders in core copy machines
September 2001	:	Starts activities highlighting environmental issues with component makers, discloses environmental technology and promotes reduction of hazardous substances as well as 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) design, with the cooperation of key suppliers
December 2002	:	Revises “Green Procurement Guidelines” as “Green Procurement Standards” to comply with RoHS Directive
February 2003	:	Sets up a “Hazardous Substances Reduction Task” under the company-wide “Recycling Promotion Committee”
January 2004	:	Starts installing chromium hexavalent-free screws to comply with RoHS directive
February 2005	:	Starts providing products that comply with RoHS Directive
October 2007	:	Decides to use lead-free shafts in all products