In2tec debut insight video for the electronics industry

In2tec, a manufacturer of flexi and flexi-hybrid printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs), has innovated throughout its’ 25 years in electronics, pushing boundaries in process and placement capabilities within additive manufacturing. They created this video to help raise awareness of the effects that the current approach to manufacturing electronics assemblies has on our planet.

E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world as electronic devices increasingly underpin our lives, yet when they reach the end of their usable life they will be buried, burned, or sent to landfill, leaching toxins into our earth and water table. They will never break down.

Most materials surrounding the electronics are stripped for recycling or reuse, such as the outer casings and mechanical parts, but with current printed circuit board assemblies the electronic components and substrates cannot. Each year over 58 million metric tons of e-waste is generated globally, and over $60 billion of valuable components are wasted.

In2tec provides a solution to these problems with their ReUSE and ReCYCLE technology.

"We developed this video to help to communicate exactly what our future generations are facing due to the way we deal with electronics today” says Emma Armstrong, Sustainable Electronics Ambassador at In2tec. “Many people believe that when they send their used electronics for recycling that they’ve done their bit to help the environment, but that isn’t the case. Most electronic components have been used for less than a quarter of their lifespan and we can’t afford to waste them.”

In2tec’s solution is a simple one, an unzippable PCBA that allows the electronic components to be removed and reused in other technologies. This high-tech solution uses the same manufacturing principles that have underpinned their Smart HMI technologies for over 25 years. In using proprietary electronics design and manufacturing techniques along with patented conductive adhesives, inter-layer adhesives, printed inks, and dielectrics, In2tec deliver printed circuit board assemblies with 100% recyclability, allowing for the components to re-enter the supply chain.

“As highlighted in the video we can provide sustainable electronics for OEMs, but to make a real difference to our planet we need to share the technology and help them to deliver it.”

The processes involved in the ReUSE and ReCYCLE programmes offer both manufacturers and recyclers additional revenue opportunities through the reuse and resale of valid components, and the process is ultra-low energy. The entire supply chain wins due to the recoverable value, delivering true circularity for the electronics industry.”

“We are excited to be able provide the closed-loop system that could quite literally save the planet for our future generations,” Armstrong concluded.