Eco-friendliness of key products
The Nikon Group aims to constantly improve the environmental performance of its products by means of its original system for managing environmentally friendly product designs.
Following are some examples of the eco-friendliness of products that we announced or released during the year ended March 31, 2012.
Precision Equipment Company
ArF Immersion Scanner NSR-S621D (released January 2012)
By employing our tried-and-trusted Streamlign Platform and making further improvements to the existing NSR-S620D model, the NSR-S621D has achieved even greater accuracy and productivity. The NSR-S621D provides the optimal and efficient solution to customers' production lines.
| Energy efficiency* | Reduced consumption of electricity per wafer |
|---|---|
| Lead-free solder | Complete use of lead-free solder on new circuit boards |
| Elimination of hexavalent chromium | Discontinued use of hexavalent chromium in the surface treatment process |
| Eco-glass* usage | Complete use of Eco-glass for optical systems |
| Ozone layer protection | Use of new HFC refrigerant in temperature control and air conditioners which does not contribute to ozone depletion. |
- *Energy efficiency
The Nikon Group defines energy efficiency as the degree of functionality of each product per unit of power consumption.
Energy efficiency of a product = Degree of functionality/Unit of power consumption
Functionality is defined separately for each product type. The Nikon Group is always committed to releasing new products with higher energy efficiency. - *Eco-glass
The Nikon Group developed lead- and arsenic-free optical glass for use in the lenses and prisms of optical devices, and calls this type of glass "Eco-glass." The use rate of Eco-glass in optical systems has reached 100% in most Nikon products.
Imaging Company
1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 (released December 2011)
This is a 3x standard zoom lens for the Nikon 1 camera system. It employs a lens-shift vibration reduction (VR) mechanism, which can also be used when shooting video, and is capable of capturing a range of scenes with superb depiction, including everyday snapshots, landscapes and portraits. Being a compact lens with a retractable lens mechanism, it is easy to carry around.
| Energy efficiency | 18% improvement compared to the AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED |
|---|---|
| Lead-free solder | Lead-free solder used on all electronic circuit boards |
| Reduction of hazardous substances | Standards of the European RoHS Directive* achieved |
| Eco-glass usage | 100% |
- *RoHS Directive
"RoHS" stands for "Restriction of Hazardous Substances." This directive was adopted by the EU in 2003. It restricts the use of certain hazardous chemical substances in electrical and electronic equipment with a view to minimizing the risks that these substances pose to the environment and human health.
COOLPIX S6300 (released February 2012)
This is one of the most compact digital cameras in its class despite the built-in 10x optical zoom NIKKOR lens. Offering an effective pixel count of 16.0 megapixels, and equipped with a lens-shift vibration reduction (VR) mechanism, the S6300 is a high-definition model offering such functions as special effects, filter effects, 3D photography and full-HD movie video recording.
| Energy efficiency | Besides improvement in performance, 10% grows in energy efficiency, compared to the COOLPIX S6100 |
|---|---|
| Lead-free solder | Lead-free solder used on all electronic circuit boards |
| Reduction of hazardous substances | Standards of the European RoHS Directive achieved |
| Eco-glass usage | 100% |
Instruments Company
Biological microscopes: ECLIPSE E200 LED illumination model (released December 2011)
We released a LED illumination model as an addition to the existing halogen illumination model in the ECLIPSE E200 series. The new high-intensity LED illumination we developed boasts exceptional energy-saving and long-life properties, and significantly reduces the need for frequent lamp replacement. It is a top performing model with full specifications that can be used for various purposes, from practical training to clinical examinations and research.
| Reduced electricity consumption | LED illumination reduces electricity consumption by 92.7% compared to the existing model |
|---|---|
| Longer life | Approximately 60,000 hours using a high luminescent white LED illuminator (Eco-illumination) |
| Lead-free solder | Lead-free solder used on all electronic circuit boards |
| Reduction of hazardous substances | Significant reduction in hexavalent chromium in surface treatment; discontinued use of PBB and PBDE |