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Checking In With ICAPE Group
April 3, 2024 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
ICAPE Group’s field application engineer Erik Pederson drills down on sustainability, supply chain resiliency, and what value engineering really looks like in this exclusive interview. Founded in 1999, European-based ICAPE Group provides 21 million printed circuit boards and over six million technical parts to manufacturers every month. With 30 PCB manufacturing partners globally and 50 partners providing a wide array of technical parts, ICAPE Group has operations in China, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, South Africa, Europe, Mexico, and the United States. The company also focuses on the value proposition for its customers.
Sustainability
Nolan Johnson: How does ICAPE Group incorporate sustainable practices into manufacturing printed circuit boards?
Erik Pederson: There are many things that we do in the process of manufacturing a PCB that focuses on sustainability. PCB fabricators reclaim precious metals from waste and have done so for many years, sending it out to salvage companies that reclaim the metals. Regarding epoxy fiberglass laminate, we can grind it down to small particles that can be used as filler material in things like construction and concrete. As far as the processes themselves, we minimize waste and reclaim materials in as many steps as possible. On the electrolytic copper plating line, when the small copper balls (anodes) are sufficiently depleted, we collect them and send them to salvage for recovery. It is also common to collect router dust from drilling and routing to reclaim especially the gold particles. We reclaim the HASL and precious metals from rinsing during the wet processes. In the etch process, the spent etchant is treated to remove the copper, which is also recovered. This has all been going on for many years, but for someone unfamiliar with the fabrication process, it is important to educate them on all we do to reduce waste.
Johnson: Today, sustainability is not something we only think about during the manufacturing process. PCB fabricators have been focused on environmental sustainability, reducing waste, and maximizing ROI in many ways for decades. Working toward better sustainability really should start long before the board arrives at the PCB shop, correct?
Pederson: That is correct, Nolan. Probably the most important thing we do is to work on sustainability with our customers at the design stage. What are the most (ENIG) and least impactful (OSP) surface treatments to the environment? What is the cost? We also promote the use of halogen-free material. It is my personal belief that customers should pay more attention here. The halogens used to make the fire-retardant materials remain even when you grind down the waste materials. They are harmful to the environment. Today, there are halogen-free materials that have as good a performance as halogen materials, but they cost 20–30% more. But if most PCB makers (and OEMs) would use halogen-free material, the market would drive the price down and they would become more common, addressing a significant environmental issue. One example is NOKIA and Samsung requiring halogen-free material for their PCBs.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the March 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
North American PCB Industry Sales Down 23.8% in March
04/29/2024 | IPCIPC announced the March 2024 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.13.
EIPC Issues Letter of Urgency
04/29/2024 | Alun Morgan, EIPCAlun Morgan, president of EIPC, issued a letter last week in an effort to raise awareness of the state of PCB manufacturing in Europe. He writes, "The European PCB manufacturing industry and its supply base has been steadily shrinking since the dot com crash at the start of the millennium. European demand for PCBs and assemblies has, however, continued to grow, thus creating an ever-widening gap between European domestic capacity and consumption. The risks posed by this imbalanced supply and demand pattern came into sharp focus during the Covid-19 pandemic which caused chaos in extended supply chains across the world and resulted in widespread shortages."
New Appointment Strengthens Ventec’s Value-Added Equipment Division
04/29/2024 | VentecVentec announces the appointment of Leigh Allinson as Commercial Director for its value-added PCB Equipment division 'Ventec Giga Solutions'.
TTM Celebrates the Grand Opening of Its First Manufacturing Facility in Penang
04/25/2024 | TTM Technologies, Inc.TTM Technologies, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of technology solutions including mission systems, radio frequency (RF) components and RF microwave/microelectronic assemblies, and quick-turn and technologically advanced printed circuit boards (PCBs), officially opened its first manufacturing plant in Penang, Malaysia with an investment of USD200 million (approximately RM958 million).
Designer’s Notebook: What Designers Need to Know About Manufacturing, Part 2
04/24/2024 | Vern Solberg -- Column: Designer's NotebookThe printed circuit board (PCB) is the primary base element for providing the interconnect platform for mounting and electrically joining electronic components. When assessing PCB design complexity, first consider the component area and board area ratio. If the surface area for the component interface is restricted, it may justify adopting multilayer or multilayer sequential buildup (SBU) PCB fabrication to enable a more efficient sub-surface circuit interconnect.