{"id":224,"date":"2020-07-02T23:24:27","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T15:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntron.com\/news\/?p=224"},"modified":"2021-01-12T10:54:14","modified_gmt":"2021-01-12T18:54:14","slug":"pcb-repair-more-environmentally-friendly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/huntron.com\/news\/pcb-repair-more-environmentally-friendly\/","title":{"rendered":"Why PCB repair is more environmentally friendly than replacement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"PCB
Looking for faults on a PCB<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3 MIN. READ<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electronics are often viewed as a “cleaner” industry than transportation, industrial chemicals and mining. This may be true after the electronics are manufactured and assembled. However, to reach that point, electronic devices such as printed circuit boards (PCBs) rely on all those “dirty” industries. This impacts the environment, and as a result, many PCB customers are turning to repair or recycling to minimize their reliance on newly manufactured PCBs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

PCB repair is more sustainable<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PCB manufacture relies on many rare metals. Equipment and chemicals used to extract<\/a> these rare metals can scar the earth, poison the area near the mine and pump tons of carbon dioxide into the air. Logically, relying on manufacturing replacement PCBs rather than repairing them requires more rare metals and imposes a greater environmental impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, the planet’s rare earth metal resources could dwindle. This will drive up the price of electronics until substitutes can be discovered or invented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repairing PCBs, however, keeps as much of these rare elements in the PCB as possible rather than disposing of them. Without the need for replacement rare metals, the mining industry may be able to prolong its supplies and limit its environmental impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reduce the need for dangerous chemicals<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After the extraction of the necessary metals, PCB manufacture might seem like a fairly clean industry. There are no smokestacks, tailings ponds or other outward signs of pollution near PCB factories. However, PCBs and electrical components, like capacitors and chips, rely on many dangerous chemicals<\/a> for their manufacture, including formaldehyde and phthalates, both of which can poison the environment when they are discarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PCB repair, on the other hand, does not require the use of these dangerous chemicals. Fewer replacement PCBs and more repair PCBs will reduce the amount of these poisonous chemicals reaching the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep PCBs out of the landfill<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

E-waste is a growing problem because of the increased use of electronics products. E-waste has several impacts on the environment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n