Electronic product design and development is a complex, multi-faceted process that demands meticulous planning, execution, and collaboration. This comprehensive guide covers the essential steps to bring your innovative ideas to fruition, whether you're developing cutting-edge IoT devices, electronics products, or smart home solutions. With a step-by-step approach, we'll explore each stage of the development process, ensuring a thorough understanding of what it takes to create a successful electronic product.
The pervasive use of plastic materials for electronics, especially in devices such as computers, mobile phones, and other consumer electronics, has revolutionized product designs. From electronic device casings to plastic circuit boards, the evolution of polymer components for electronics has been significant.
The underlying concept of creating large compounds from simple repetitive units makes plastic manufacturing exceptionally efficient. Plastics have assisted in reducing product weight and creating more durable items that can withstand extended use.
Plastic injection molding offers companies the chance to produce complex and high-volume plastic parts for electronic applications.
Electrical Insulation: Given that electricity is integral to our daily lives, its insulation becomes critical for safety reasons. Plastics, being non-conductive, are utilized in various applications where insulating properties are necessary. PVC is a high-performance plastic for electronics, is extensively used for electric wiring insulation. Furthermore, plastic encapsulation techniques have also been employed to ensure the safety of various electronics.
Heat Insulation: As poor conductors of heat, plastics are utilized extensively to reduce burn risks. This has led to the development of cool-touch toasters, deep-fat fryers, and kettles. Further consumer protection is ensured by making plastics fire-resistant using special flame retardant additives.
Lightweight: Imagine the effort required to operate an old, heavy vacuum cleaner, and the advantage of plastics becomes clear. Significant weight reductions in tools and equipment can be achieved using lightweight plastic electronics. This not only makes devices more portable but also environmentally efficient.
Design Flexibility: Plastics can bring any design dream to life. They can adopt any color-transparent, translucent, or opaque, and any texture-matte for glare reduction, smooth for easy cleaning, or non-slip for handles. Plastics are perfect for the ergonomic curves that make modern tools safe and easy to use.
Durability: Plastics are hygienic, durable, easily cleaned, and maintained. Unlike metals, they don't corrode, and they resist rot better than other organic materials. They are oil- and acid-resistant, an essential property for tools, and can be made shatter-resistant.
Energy Efficiency: Plastics consume just 4% of oil production. They require less energy, and therefore, less fossil fuel to produce than most traditional materials. Electronics that utilize thermoplastics in electronics manufacturing generally consume less energy, making them cost-effective and beneficial to the environment.
Recyclability: The importance of plastic recycling in the electronics industry cannot be understated. Many components, from plastic housings for electronic devices to plastic packaging for electronics, can be recycled. However, there's a growing need to promote the use of recycled plastics in electronics and improve plastic waste management in electronics.
Types of Plastics Used in Consumer Electronics
Let's delve deeper into the types of plastics in consumer electronics and understand the importance of each. Whether it's the ABS plastic use in electronic devices or understanding how polycarbonate is used in electronics, each has its unique role.
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
Main Benefits: The chemical properties of ABS plastic give it a relatively low melting point and a low glass transition temperature, meaning it can be easily melted down and molded into different shapes during the injection molding process. ABS can be repeatedly melted down and reshaped without significant chemical degradation, making the plastic recyclable. This makes it one of the easiest plastics to handle, machine, paint, sand, glue, or otherwise manipulate.
Industries Where Used: Widely used in the automotive and consumer goods sector, including appliances.
Example of Product: It's commonly used in components of consumer electronics for example housing for kitchen appliances, computer keyboards, as well as in non-electronic products like LEGO bricks. Car parts such as bumpers, grilles, door handles, mirror covers, and many other applications.
Most Important Drawback: ABS has a low melting point when compared to all plastics, making it unsuitable for high-heat applications (i.e., applications involving temperatures above 160 degrees). ABS has poor resistance to fatigue stress, solvents/greases, and UV light exposure. ABS will quickly degrade when weathered or placed in high-friction environments.
Polycarbonate (PC)
Main Benefits: Polycarbonate is a useful plastic material for applications needing transparency or high-impact resistance. PC plastics are twice as light as standard glass. Polycarbonate is also considered sustainable. It has a long service lifespan and is fully recyclable. Polycarbonate plastics are also resistant to UV rays, making them suitable as sheet materials for exterior applications.
Industries Where Used: You can often find PC in the electronic industry, optical industry, and medical industry.
Example of Product: PC use as diffusers and light pipes for LEDs, a button with a light indicator, lenses and sight glasses, various disposables.
Most Important Drawback: Although PC is known for its high impact resistance, it is very susceptible to scratching. For this reason, clear surfaces such as a polycarbonate lenses in a pair of glasses will typically be coated with a scratch-resistant layer for protection or use a special surface finish.
Polycarbonate + Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC+ABS Blend)
Main Benefits: The blend of PC and ABS offers the high processability of ABS with the mechanical properties, heat and impact resistance of PC.
Industries Where Used: Predominantly in the electronics and automotive industries.
Example of Product: Commonly found in laptop enclosures, mobile phone bodies, TV frames, parts of a wide variety of other portable hand-held devices, glove boxes, overhead and middle consoles, knee bolsters and blow-molded seatbacks.
Most Important Drawback: This plastic has low dielectric strength (not a good insulator) and low continuous service temperature (melts easily).
Polypropylene(PP)
Main Benefits: Polypropylene has a strong resistance to fatigue and chemical corrosion. Also it a great plastic to make food containers with since it does not contain BPA.
Industries Where Used: Commonly used in food storage, medical components, toys,
Example of Product: Plastic storage containers, kitchenware, water bottles, and even insulation and piping systems.
Most Important Drawback: Limited use in high-temperature (Melting Point ~ 130 degree Celsius), non UV resistance, difficult to bond with other materials such as paint or glue, non-biodegradable.
Nylon (Polyamide)
Main Benefits: Nylon plastics (PA) have good resistance to wear, heat, and chemicals. They also have good mechanical properties and low friction coefficient. PA is a highly elastic and fatigue-resistant material, meaning it will return to its original proportions after being distorted by tension. The polyamide is non-toxic and can be combined with glass or carbon fibers to increase performance.
Industries Where Used: Used in the electric tool, the automotive industry, consumer goods, and industrial applications.
Example of Product: Commonly used in electronic tools, the protective casing for kitchen appliances, different cases, plastic parts of the car, plastic gears.
Most Important Drawback: It absorbs moisture, this can reduce the strength and durability of nylon over time. This material may permanently lose breaking strength, elongation, and toughness if exposed to high temperatures or light for a longer period.
Polymethyl Methacrylate, Acrylic, Plexiglas (PMMA)
Main Benefits: PMMA is highly transparent, UV-resistant, high hardness, stiffness and strength, high gloss, scratch resistance, polishability, and has a high weatherability.
Industries Where Used: Widely used in signboards in advertising, light fixtures, various construction elements, consumer electronics products, IoT.
Example of Product: Often used in display screens or as a glass substitute, light pipes of LEDs, and buttons for electronic devices.
Most Important Drawback: It is more brittle than other plastics and can crack or shatter under stress.
Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT)
Main Benefits: PBT has excellent electrical properties, high strength, and resistance to heat and chemicals.
Industries Where Used: Mainly in automotive and electrical industries.
Example of Product: Connector strips, insulating electrical components, valve parts, pump housing, wear strips, scraper blades, gears, bumpers, irrigation equipment, motor covers, TV accessories, tractor hoods, and tailgate outer panels. It is also made into toothbrushes and is used in the keycaps of some high-end computer keyboards because the texture is resistant to abrasion and discoloration from UV radiation.
Most Important Drawback: PBT is generally more expensive than commodity plastics like polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE). Its higher cost can make it less suitable for price-sensitive applications where lower-cost alternatives can meet the required specifications.
Polyphenylene Ether (PPE)
Main Benefits: PPE plastic is material commonly known for its very high dimensional stability. In addition, it also offers high impact strength, a very low creep tendency & low moisture absorption. This lightweight material has great electrical insulating properties, excellent hydrolysis resistance & maintains its electrical characteristics over a wide frequency range.
Industries Where Used: PPE is used in a lot of applications in electrical engineering, automotive industry.
Example of Product: Applications include parts for electrical engineering (circuit breakers, connectors, and socket covers), switches, shafts, gear wheels, air intakes, valve covers and engine components.
Most Important Drawback: PPE plastic exhibits high viscosity, which can pose challenges during the processing and molding of plastic products using this material - manufacturing more expensive. In comparison to other plastic materials, PPE carries a higher price, which may serve as a barrier for applications with limited budgets. And it has poor resistance to UV light.
Future Trends
The accelerating expansion of electronic and electrical applications globally serves as the primary growth catalyst for the overall market of plastics within consumer electronics. A significant reason for the escalating demand for such products can be traced back to the swift industrialization and urbanization occurring in emerging cities.
Moreover, the global surge in mobile product demand could further propel the consumption of plastic for consumer electronics in the forthcoming years. Other desirable characteristics of plastics, such as aesthetics and weight reduction capabilities, might also amplify the market growth of plastics for consumer electronics.
Interestingly, plastics initially gained popularity as an industry effort to embrace environmental friendliness. Plastics are robust, long-lasting, cost-effective, and typically produce fewer industrial emissions during manufacturing than equivalent natural alternatives.
However, their affordability has commonly associated plastic items with disposability. This "use once and discard" mentality has led to a considerable plastic pollution burden.
Presently, we manage to recycle less than 10% of the total plastic we produce. In today's time, a notable number of manufacturers are revising their recycling policies, driven by regulatory norms and evolving consumer expectations. A significant proportion of plastic waste, nearly half, originates from the packaging industry, while consumer electronics contribute about 10-15%. Despite this, the recycling rate for plastic waste remains close to zero. This trend is primarily due to the meager market for recycling plastics utilized in consumer electronics products, like ABS. The economics of recycling further compound the problem, as the cost of recycling often exceeds the value of the raw material recovered.
A major trend reshaping the industry is the increasing focus on bio-plastics or biodegradable plastics. These materials can decompose naturally in the environment, offering a more sustainable alternative to traditional plastics. They hold significant potential to reduce plastic waste and pollution, making them an attractive choice for environmentally conscious manufacturers and consumers.
The use of biodegradable plastics in consumer electronics is still in its early stages, but advancements are being made. For instance, some electronics manufacturers are starting to use bioplastics for the outer casings of their products. As technology continues to advance and consumer awareness of environmental issues grows, the demand for these more sustainable materials is expected to increase.
Conclusion:
Undoubtedly, plastic has been a groundbreaking material that allows us to create superior products with remarkable properties. However, while we appreciate these benefits, we must also actively address the accompanying environmental challenges, particularly those related to recycling.
In our pursuit of creating advanced products, we should not lose sight of our responsibilities towards the planet. As such, it is essential to increase our efforts in plastic recycling to mitigate the negative environmental impacts.
We believe that changes in consumer mindset will be a key driving force behind this. As users become more environmentally conscious, manufacturers will be motivated to intensify their recycling initiatives and create products that are not just high in quality but also eco-friendly. This balance between innovation and sustainability is what will truly define our future success.
