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An Ultimate Goal in Sustainability: Recyclable PCBs
April 11, 2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Who doesn’t believe in recycling? “Re-use, repurpose, recycle” has been a drumbeat for more than two decades. Our children learn about it in primary school. Full university departments devoted to environmental science and sustainability in universities forward their discipline for the world's benefit. In theory, we all get behind the concept of recycling, even if the nuances of execution may fall short.
When I first heard of recyclable PCBs, I was skeptical. There are so many distinct elements of a printed circuit board: fiberglass, solder, metal finishes, and all manner of components. I have been far more apt to picture them being repurposed (unfortunate art deco PCB earrings come to mind) than recycled. But Jan Pedersen begs to differ with my lack of vision. As director of technology at NCAB, Jan is a true champion and visionary of the concept and is working to prove out the practice.
Marcy LaRont: Jan, can you explain the concept of circularity as it relates to recyclability? Honestly, I had not heard the term before your IPC Community article.
Jan Pedersen: Circularity, in the purest sense, is to reuse the scrapped PCB to produce a new PCB or another product. We use circularity to explain the lifecycle of materials, from nature and back to nature, or cradle to cradle, if you like. That can mean reusing the material in a new product or simply returning it back to nature.
Now, we all know that a PCB and its constituents are not good for nature, so we have to look at how we can circle the material back into a new product.
LaRont: That’s fascinating to me. I know that PCB particulates, like the fiberglass laminate, can sometimes be ground up and used in things like concrete. But it feels like true circularity with a printed circuit board would be impossible.
Pedersen: It is not easy to find a true solution. Having that said, promising projects are going on in China and the Western world.
To continue reading the entire conversation, which appeared in the March 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
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American Made Advocacy: What About the Rest of the Technology Stack?
05/14/2024 | Travis Kelly -- Column: American Made AdvocacyThose of us who have been in the industry for any length of time know America manufactures very little of the world’s supply of microelectronics. This happened over decades and was invisible or ignored by policymakers as companies shipped both their ideas and their production to Asia—and made a good profit in the process.
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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/10/2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineSpring is a renewal each year as dormant flora bloom, and baby ducklings and geese are ever present in local bodies of water. Even though it is beginning to get hot, I love this time of year in Arizona, with the sun waking me around 5 a.m. It fills me with an energy that I often lose in the dark winter months. Wherever you find yourself in the world, I hope you are enjoying Spring and that you are filled with energy and enthusiasm for all the great work part of our daily lives in this industry.