Epoxy / Silicone Potting Material Removal for Greater Recovery of Circuit Boards

Technical Report · Tue Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1872218· OSTI ID:1872218

Sisak, Kristi ^[1]; Larrabee, James ^[2]

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1. Rochester Inst. of Technology, Rochester, NY (United States); Golisano Institute for Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY (United States)
2. Rochester Inst. of Technology, Rochester, NY (United States)

This report documents an exploratory research project, “Epoxy/Silicone Potting Material Removal for Greater Recovery of Circuit Boards,” that investigated micro abrasion and laser ablation as potential cost effective methods for removal of epoxy and silicone potting material from printed circuit boards (PCBs) to expose components for testing and repair. The ability to cost effectively remove such PCB potting materials will improve PCB repair, remanufacture, and reuse opportunities with potential for sizable reductions in material use, E-waste, and energy. Laser ablation was identified as a method potentially warranting further investigation, in particular for epoxy based potting materials.

• Research Organization: Rochester Inst. of Technology, Rochester, NY (United States); REMADE Institute of Sustainable Manufacturing Innovation Alliance Corp., West Henrietta, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Office (AMMTO)
• Contributing Organization: Caterpillar, Inc.; CoreCentric Solutions
• DOE Contract Number: EE0007897
• OSTI ID: 1872218
• Report Number(s): DOE-RIT-0007897; 18-01-RM-13
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
Conformal coating
Laser ablation
Media/Micro abrasion
PCB potting
Printed Circuit Board (PCB)