Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1478618
SEPTEMBER 2022 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 67 I think we are seeing a sea change in atti- tude at the moment, from sustainability seen as a niche focus to now being a big concern for society as a whole. In the past, the focus has been on sustainability almost as a market- ing tool, leading to "greenwashing," but more manufacturers are realising that sustainability needs to be at the core of what they do, both to meet increasing consumer demands for sus- tainable products and to future-proof their business. We've seen supply shortages and price volatility making synthetic materials, such as those derived from crude oil, a much less attractive choice, which is an additional commercial incentive toward using more sustainable bio-based materials. e fact that our research shows using certain bio-based materials in the formulation improves resin properties also means a bio-based resin doesn't need to be sold on sustainability credentials alone. Its performance speaks for itself, as can be seen with one of our products that is a high temperature, chemically-resistant poly- urethane resin. Electrolube's extensive research and find- ings conclude that the future looks extremely promising for bio-based resins, which bring distinct performance advantages in harsh envi- ronments, including underwater applications as well as hot and humid operating environ- ments. Bio-based chemicals are highly suited to a wide variety of applications within the electronics industry and even lend themselves to RF applications. One Electrolube product has a bio-sourced content of over 60% and has been used in many sensor applications. It is likely that the bio-based chemicals share within the electrochemical production seg- ment will increase, and electrochemical man- ufacturers and associated OEMs will become an important part of the bio-economy of the future. DESIGN007 To read past columns from Electrolube, click here. Download your free copy of Electrolube's book, The Printed Circuit Assembler's Guide to… Conformal Coatings for Harsh Environments, and watch the micro webinar series "Coatings Uncoated!" Beth Turner Beth Massey