Standards
that connect.

RoHS
The RoHS Directive (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) was introduced by the EU in 2003. Its main goal is to increase product safety at every stage of the life cycle of electrical and electronic equipment by reducing the harmful effects of certain substances on people and the environment.

Substances banned under RoHS include lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), hexavalent chromium (CrVI), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), as well as phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP and DIBP).

The substances prohibited under the RoHS Directive are hazardous both to the environment and to workers involved in the manufacture and disposal of electronic equipment. For this reason, RoHS-equivalent regulations have also been adopted in many non-EU countries.

REACH
The REACH Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) likewise addresses the manufacture and use of chemical substances and their potential effects on the environment and human health.

Registration: manufacturers and importers of chemicals bringing them into the EU and the EEA are required to register all substances manufactured and placed on the market and to make their safety data available.

Evaluation: safety data is evaluated by experts from the member states.
Authorisation: substances of very high concern must be progressively phased out or replaced with safer alternatives.

Restriction of use: the use of certain chemicals can be banned or restricted.
The REACH Regulation is overseen by scientific committees and ECHA bodies and today includes an extensive list of substances of very high concern (SVHC). These include carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances as well as substances that are persistent, bioaccumulative or toxic.

AQAP 2110 (Allied Quality Assurance Publication) is the NATO standard for quality management systems in the development, design and manufacture of defense-related products. It builds on DIN ISO 9001, but goes considerably further in its requirements for documentation, traceability and risk management, since failures in military applications are directly safety-critical.

Core elements include continuous configuration management across the entire product life cycle, documented risk management starting as early as the development phase, and complete evidence of the materials, processes and inspections used. Any change to design or manufacturing process must be approved, documented and traceable for every party involved.

Customers are primarily NATO armed forces, national ministries of defense and their suppliers. Certification to AQAP 2110 is reviewed by the relevant national defense procurement authorities and is a prerequisite for participating in many defense-sector tenders.

For ST Connect, AQAP 2110 is the foundation for supplying connectors and connection solutions for safety-critical applications in defense systems -- with full traceability from raw-material batch through to the delivered part.

SurTec 650 is a chromium-free conversion coating for aluminium and aluminium alloys. It replaces conventional chromate conversion coatings based on hexavalent chromium (CrVI), which is being increasingly restricted for health and environmental reasons, without compromising on corrosion protection or electrical conductivity.

The coating is tested and approved to the US military specifications MIL-DTL-81706B and MIL-DTL-5541F Type 2 Class 3. MIL-DTL-81706B defines the requirements for chromium-free conversion coatings themselves, while MIL-DTL-5541F Type 2 Class 3 sets the test criteria for corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity of conversion coatings on aluminium. Class 3 stands for maximum electrical conductivity combined with high corrosion protection -- a trade-off that SurTec 650 specifically resolves.

The layer is only a few micrometers thick, so it does not alter the fit or mechanical properties of components, and it provides a stable, well-adhering base for subsequent painting or bonding.

For connectors, this combination of conductivity and corrosion protection is particularly relevant: contact surfaces must remain reliably low-resistance while the housing stays protected against corrosion under humidity, salt spray and fluctuating temperatures. ST Connect applies SurTec 650 wherever both requirements must be met at the same time.

DIN EN 9102 is the standard used throughout the aerospace industry for the First Article Inspection Report (FAIR). It defines how a component must be fully verified against its design requirements and documented before series production is released.

The First Article Inspection Report consists of several parts: a complete dimensional inspection of every characteristic specified on the drawing, evidence that all specified materials and processes (such as heat treatment, surface coating or special processes) were actually applied, and functional tests where required by the specification. Every individual characteristic is uniquely numbered on the drawing and compared in the report against its measured actual value.

A First Article Inspection Report is generated not only when a part is first introduced, but also after design changes, relocation of manufacturing, tooling changes, or a production break of more than two years -- the standard ensures that every relevant change is fully re-verified before series parts are shipped.

For ST Connect, DIN EN 9102 is the basis for providing aerospace customers with complete, auditable evidence for every newly introduced or modified component.

DIN ISO 9001:2015 is the internationally recognized standard for quality management systems and forms the basis of ST Connect's entire process chain. It defines requirements for organizations, regardless of industry or size, to consistently deliver products and services at the required quality level and to continuously improve that quality.

The core principle of the standard is a process-oriented approach: quality is not created through final inspection but through controlled, documented and measurable processes across the entire value chain -- from order clarification through procurement and manufacturing to delivery. This includes risk-based thinking, which factors opportunities and risks into planning from the outset, and the principle of continuous improvement (the PDCA cycle: Plan -- Do -- Check -- Act).

Further core requirements include traceability of materials and process steps, documented supplier management, systematic recording and handling of deviations and complaints, and regular internal and external audits to verify the effectiveness of the system.

Certification to DIN ISO 9001:2015 is carried out by an independent, accredited certification body and is confirmed through regular surveillance audits. For ST Connect, it is the foundation on which further industry-specific standards such as AQAP 2110 or DIN EN 9102 are built.