Plastic circuit reliability and design for recycling

Abstract

Electronics is a major contributor to solid waste streams around the world. The manufacturing and the recycling processes currently used in the electronics industry are energy intensive and are accompanied by noxious gaseous and liquid waste. Circuits in Plastic (CiP) is a new technology designed to address issues. Circuit components are placed in a plastic substrate, conductive tracks are screen printed and the completed completed by thermally binding a cover sheet of the same material. The circuits are disassembled by mechanical means. While the process requires much less energy and produces minimal waste, the process must be reliable. Mechanical experiments and thermal modeling have supported the viability of the technology. Microcontroller circuits manufactured in this way have remained functional over 4 years and a water proof and mechanically reliable.