Components and printed circuit board efficient design
In this guide:
- Design efficient electrical and electronic equipment
- Advantages of efficient design of electrical and electronic equipment
- Eco-design in product development process for electrical and electronic equipment
- Materials and packaging design for reuse in electrical and electronic equipment
- Assembly and disassembly design in electrical and electronic equipment
- Materials recycling design in electrical and electronic equipment
- Design out hazardous substances from electrical and electronic equipment
- Components and printed circuit board efficient design
- Connections and power requirements for efficient electrical and electronic equipment
Advantages of efficient design of electrical and electronic equipment
How businesses producing electrical and electronic equipment can benefit from good design practice.
There are a number of ways in which businesses involved with producing electrical and electronic equipment can benefit from efficient product design.
Using efficient design for your products will help you to comply with legislation that controls product design, eg restrictions on energy use and hazardous substances - see energy labelling and ecodesign of energy-related products and restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).
Efficient product design can also enable you to cut your costs - for example, by reducing the amount you pay to buy materials and dispose of waste.
Marketing opportunities
Designing your products so that they can be easily serviced and upgraded to extend the product's lifetime can provide marketing benefits and enhance brand value. This may include:
- considering higher specification components, sub-assemblies and printed circuit boards to provide greater product reliability
- designing parts for equal lifetime, since failure of a single part often means that the whole product is discarded
- designing for disassembly to ensure that products can be taken apart efficiently
- modularising to enable product upgrade and repair
- ensuring replaceable and upgradable components have easy accessibility
- considering how best to supply spares
- reducing packaging materials
- planning for end of life reuse and recycling
- reducing whole-of-life energy use
Using environmental labelling or green claims can provide marketing benefits by highlighting that your products are designed specifically to reduce their overall environmental impact - see how to market your environmental credentials.
Supply chain
By presenting yourself as a business with environmental credentials, you can exert pressure on your suppliers by:
- dealing only with suppliers that have an environmental management system certified to a standard such as ISO 14001
- asking your suppliers to demonstrate that they manufacture their products, components or materials in an environmentally responsible manner
- looking out for suppliers that offer sustainable product design advice on the sub-assemblies they manufacture
Reducing the costs and environmental impact of suppliers may mean that they can charge you less - see supply chain efficiency.
Functionality and service innovation
Efficient product design can stimulate innovation and lead to radical changes in your products themselves. For example, if customers simply want to use the service provided by a product, then leasing may be the best way forward. The ongoing income stream provided by selling services can be advantageous to your business model.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/advantages-efficient-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Eco-design in product development process for electrical and electronic equipment
What to consider when incorporating eco-design into the development process for electrical and electronic products.
You should consider eco-design as early as possible in the development process for electrical and electronic products. You can incorporate it into your product development by:
- raising awareness of eco-design at the concept stage and then providing continual reminders throughout the process
- introducing checklists to capture eco-design improvement opportunities and ensuring they are addressed throughout the process
- communicating good design tips and ideas and discussing eco-design issues
You should also consider:
- investing time at the concept and feasibility stages as this will pay dividends and avoid the need for more expensive design changes later in the design process
- clearly defining the feasibility stage and production of design specifications early on with all relevant business aspects and external stakeholders
- training key staff in the team on eco-design issues, approaches and tools
- keeping your design-systems' hardware and software up to date and encouraging your product development team to keep up with the latest developments
You should think about how design changes will affect other stages and aspects of the product's lifecycle, such as:
- purchasing
- manufacturing
- distribution
- marketing
- quality
- health and safety
For more information on the processes involved in eco-design, see ecodesign for goods and services.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/eco-design-product-development-process-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Materials and packaging design for reuse in electrical and electronic equipment
Reducing costs by using raw materials and packaging efficiently when designing electrical and electronic equipment.
When designing electrical and electronic equipment you should consider the way you will use raw materials. Using fewer materials and fewer different types over the lifecycle of products will generate less waste and can deliver cost and environmental benefits. You should aim for the design to be as simple, and to have as few components, as possible.
You can use engineering principles to minimise the use of resources, including:
- defining realistic requirements for stiffness and strength
- optimising part dimensions - for example, by using finite element analysis
- considering alternatives to thick-walled sections, such as ribbed structures, where stiffness is required
- selecting the most appropriate materials for the product lifecycle
You should consider product design at the same time as packaging design. This can help you to keep packaging to a minimum and could offer opportunities for the packaging to be used within the product once it gets to the consumer.
Package design
Packaging has to protect goods, enable easy handling and distribution, present information and act as a marketing tool for the product. However, you can design packaging so that it uses materials efficiently while ensuring that it does these jobs effectively.
Good design has a vital role to play in producing packaging that is effective and minimises the impacts on the environment. Reviewing the materials and design of your products' packaging may identify opportunities to:
- improve the protection of your product
- eliminate or reduce your packaging requirement
- optimise your packaging use, ie matching the packaging to the level of protection needed
- introduce reusable transit packaging
- use recycled materials
These approaches will deliver cost savings by minimising your consumption of resources and the quantities of waste for disposal. For more information, see our packaging design essential top tips.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/materials-and-packaging-design-reuse-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Assembly and disassembly design in electrical and electronic equipment
The attachment technique used can affect cost and how easily electrical and electronic products can be recycled.
Selecting the attachment technique that is used to assemble and disassemble your electrical and electronic products requires careful consideration.
The choice of attachment type is likely to depend on assembly cost and required performance parameters during the product's lifetime. For example, you'll need to decide whether the attachment is permanent during the product's lifetime or if it needs to be reversible for servicing, repair or upgrade. Your choice will affect the purity of recycled materials and hence their value. Reversible attachments need to be accessible, easy to remove and durable, and will give purer materials after disassembly.
Where fasteners are used, you should consider:
- making fastening points accessible, visible and clearly marked
- using a simple component orientation
- using screws in place of rivets for easier disassembly at the end of the product's life
- standardising screw heads to aid assembly and disassembly
- avoiding assemblies that require power tools
- using fasteners of the same material as the parts to be joined to optimise recycling opportunities at the end of the product's life
You can design snap-fits to allow rapid and efficient disassembly of the product, eg by ensuring that the tines are easily accessible. However, in some cases they may not provide adequate pressure on connecting parts, for example to ensure adequate conductive continuity in products requiring shielding from electromagnetic interference, and in areas with high levels of vibration.
You should avoid joining dissimilar materials using adhesives or welding. Staking techniques for joining thermoplastic parts to other materials can provide a low-cost approach, but reduce opportunities for end-of-life materials and component recycling.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/assembly-and-disassembly-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Materials recycling design in electrical and electronic equipment
Consider how materials will be recycled when electrical and electronic products have reached the end of their life.
By considering the materials used in your electrical and electronic products, you could improve their recyclability and overall environmental impact.
Plastics
Though a large proportion of electrical and electronic equipment is made out of plastic to reduce manufacturing costs, current recycling technology cannot return the plastic to its original performance specification. To help with recycling, you should use as few types of plastic as possible.
Discussions with materials suppliers should help you to decide whether to use a specialist plastic or a commodity plastic. Commodity plastics are generally cheaper and may provide greater security of supply compared to specialist plastics.
You should also consider the design of the injection moulding process. Some design features and process steps can degrade polymers and reduce the quality of the plastic for recycling.
In some cases, there may be opportunities to use both virgin polymer and the same type of recycled polymer for different parts of the product. This will not affect recycling value at the product's end of life and may offer cost savings.
To help the recycling process at the product's end of life, you should mark plastic polymers with the material category and date of manufacture. Flexible tooling using tool inserts will allow you to change in-mould marking if the polymer material is changed.
Metals
Reverting to using metal instead of plastics would require you to improve your product designs to make components and sub-assemblies thinner, smaller, lighter or less numerous. Using heavier metals may have impacts on transport and fuel efficiency when your products are distributed.
Metal also has higher embedded carbon than other materials, so you should remember this if your business is looking to reduce its carbon footprint. If you use metals such as aluminium with recycled content, this can bring the embedded carbon down significantly.
New metal alloys are being developed which may offer additional end-of-life benefits compared to plastics.
Labelling, adhesives and coatings
You should avoid labels and adhesives unless they are compatible with the moulding polymer for recycling.
You can mould information on to a product using a different surface finish to increase visibility. Consider ultrasonic welding, heat staking and spin welding, hot-plate or hot-gas welding where an adhesive with recycling compatibility is not available.
You should make sure your products are marked with a crossed-out wheeled bin symbol - see waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/materials-recycling-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Design out hazardous substances from electrical and electronic equipment
Alternatives to hazardous substances should be considered when designing electrical and electronic products.
You should design electrical and electronic equipment so that the use of hazardous substances is kept to a minimum.
Your products must comply with limits on the use of certain hazardous substances. Alternatives for these hazardous substances should be used where possible:
- Lead - alloys based on tin-silver-copper (Sn-Ag-Cu) will probably be the first choice to replace lead solder. Tin-silver-bismuth (Sn-Ag-Bi) type alloys are likely to be used for surface mount consumer products and tin-copper (Sn-Cu) solders may be developed for wave soldering.
- Mercury - most manufacturers phased out the use of mercury in these applications in the early 1990s. Today, there are drop-in replacements for these components which do not use mercury.
- Cadmium - alternatives include tin and its alloys, zinc and its alloys, ion vapour deposition, nickel and epoxide.
- Hexavalent chromium - where coatings are required, alternatives include zinc-based coatings and compounds, nickel-based coatings, copper, silver, modified primer or paint technologies.
- Brominated flame retardants - flame retardants are added to polymers used in electrical and electronic products to ensure that they meet international standards. Halogen-free flame retardants include aluminium trioxide, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium carbonate, phosphate esters, melamine derivatives and zinc borate.
For more information on the legal limits that apply, see restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/design-out-hazardous-substances-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Components and printed circuit board efficient design
Some of the different options for businesses when designing components and printed circuit boards to reduce costs.
Regular consultation with component suppliers, printed circuit board (PCB) fabricators and assemblers is essential to reducing manufacturing and assembly costs.
For electrical and electronic product design, you should start with component specification as this has a knock-on effect on other production issues.
The packaging of components has a major impact on the design of PCBs and how easy they are to assemble. Some components are available with a range of packaging options.
Design rules for PCBs
Once the component specification has been agreed, you should use the design rules provided by fabricators and assemblers to guide the PCB design. Maximising hole sizes, making tracks and gaps bigger and reducing the number of layers will optimise yield and reduce cost at the fabricator and assembler.
Your designer should agree the testing process to be used with the assembly house and design the PCB to allow simple, quick and effective testing.
Design-for-manufacturing (DFM)
DFM checking is a common practice to ensure well-manufactured design geometries. There are considerable benefits from carrying out DFM checking at the design stage, such as fewer revision spins and faster time to market, as well as reduced fabrication and assembly costs.
The design software currently used by designers checks the electronic functionality of the PCB design, but may not include DFM checking. In this case, designers should consider investing in DFM software.
Although the software is supplied with a generic set of fabrication and assembly design rules, you should advise designers to customise the software with the design rules for their individual fabricators and assemblers.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/components-and-printed-circuit-board-efficient-design
Links
Connections and power requirements for efficient electrical and electronic equipment
How electrical and electronic equipment producers can design efficient connections and power requirements.
When designing electrical and electronic equipment you should consider the financial and environmental impact of different options for connections and power requirements.
Connections
For component and printed circuit board (PCB) connections, you should consider:
- standardising connector types to aid assembly
- designing modules and sub-assemblies to be independently testable
- using plug-in boards to aid assembly and disassembly
- making high-value components surface-mounted or socket-fitted to aid removal from units that fail quality inspections and make it easier for components to be reused at the end of the product's life
- grouping hazardous materials and components together on the PCB and incorporating perforated 'snap lines'
Power requirements
Designing products with lower energy consumption provides tangible cost savings to customers and can be exploited as a valuable marketing benefit. You can design electronic products to minimise energy consumption and costs during use by:
- using low voltage logic
- designing an energy efficient standby mode - or removing the standby mode altogether
- making the product compatible with other energy efficient devices
- increasing the thermal tolerance of the design to avoid the use of cooling fans or air conditioning
- improving the insulation of hot or cold elements
- looking at recovery of excess heat output
Manufacturers, suppliers and importers of energy-using and energy related products are required to consider the environmental impact of products in the design stages under the European Ecodesign Directive. Once products are covered by implementing measures - usually in the form of regulations - manufacturers and suppliers have to achieve minimum energy efficiency standards, carry out conformity testing and affix a CE mark. For detailed information on these requirements see energy labelling and ecodesign of energy-related products.
You should consider using batteries with high energy efficiency and low environmental impact. Nickel metal hydride offers more than twice the volumetric energy density - energy stored within a given volume - of cheaper nickel cadmium batteries.
Lithium ion (LiON) batteries offer still higher energy density. LiON batteries are smaller, lighter and contain less heavy metal content.
You must make sure that any batteries you use comply with limits on hazardous substances - see batteries responsibilities for business.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/connections-and-power-requirements-efficient-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Design out hazardous substances from electrical and electronic equipment
In this guide:
- Design efficient electrical and electronic equipment
- Advantages of efficient design of electrical and electronic equipment
- Eco-design in product development process for electrical and electronic equipment
- Materials and packaging design for reuse in electrical and electronic equipment
- Assembly and disassembly design in electrical and electronic equipment
- Materials recycling design in electrical and electronic equipment
- Design out hazardous substances from electrical and electronic equipment
- Components and printed circuit board efficient design
- Connections and power requirements for efficient electrical and electronic equipment
Advantages of efficient design of electrical and electronic equipment
How businesses producing electrical and electronic equipment can benefit from good design practice.
There are a number of ways in which businesses involved with producing electrical and electronic equipment can benefit from efficient product design.
Using efficient design for your products will help you to comply with legislation that controls product design, eg restrictions on energy use and hazardous substances - see energy labelling and ecodesign of energy-related products and restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).
Efficient product design can also enable you to cut your costs - for example, by reducing the amount you pay to buy materials and dispose of waste.
Marketing opportunities
Designing your products so that they can be easily serviced and upgraded to extend the product's lifetime can provide marketing benefits and enhance brand value. This may include:
- considering higher specification components, sub-assemblies and printed circuit boards to provide greater product reliability
- designing parts for equal lifetime, since failure of a single part often means that the whole product is discarded
- designing for disassembly to ensure that products can be taken apart efficiently
- modularising to enable product upgrade and repair
- ensuring replaceable and upgradable components have easy accessibility
- considering how best to supply spares
- reducing packaging materials
- planning for end of life reuse and recycling
- reducing whole-of-life energy use
Using environmental labelling or green claims can provide marketing benefits by highlighting that your products are designed specifically to reduce their overall environmental impact - see how to market your environmental credentials.
Supply chain
By presenting yourself as a business with environmental credentials, you can exert pressure on your suppliers by:
- dealing only with suppliers that have an environmental management system certified to a standard such as ISO 14001
- asking your suppliers to demonstrate that they manufacture their products, components or materials in an environmentally responsible manner
- looking out for suppliers that offer sustainable product design advice on the sub-assemblies they manufacture
Reducing the costs and environmental impact of suppliers may mean that they can charge you less - see supply chain efficiency.
Functionality and service innovation
Efficient product design can stimulate innovation and lead to radical changes in your products themselves. For example, if customers simply want to use the service provided by a product, then leasing may be the best way forward. The ongoing income stream provided by selling services can be advantageous to your business model.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/advantages-efficient-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Eco-design in product development process for electrical and electronic equipment
What to consider when incorporating eco-design into the development process for electrical and electronic products.
You should consider eco-design as early as possible in the development process for electrical and electronic products. You can incorporate it into your product development by:
- raising awareness of eco-design at the concept stage and then providing continual reminders throughout the process
- introducing checklists to capture eco-design improvement opportunities and ensuring they are addressed throughout the process
- communicating good design tips and ideas and discussing eco-design issues
You should also consider:
- investing time at the concept and feasibility stages as this will pay dividends and avoid the need for more expensive design changes later in the design process
- clearly defining the feasibility stage and production of design specifications early on with all relevant business aspects and external stakeholders
- training key staff in the team on eco-design issues, approaches and tools
- keeping your design-systems' hardware and software up to date and encouraging your product development team to keep up with the latest developments
You should think about how design changes will affect other stages and aspects of the product's lifecycle, such as:
- purchasing
- manufacturing
- distribution
- marketing
- quality
- health and safety
For more information on the processes involved in eco-design, see ecodesign for goods and services.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/eco-design-product-development-process-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Materials and packaging design for reuse in electrical and electronic equipment
Reducing costs by using raw materials and packaging efficiently when designing electrical and electronic equipment.
When designing electrical and electronic equipment you should consider the way you will use raw materials. Using fewer materials and fewer different types over the lifecycle of products will generate less waste and can deliver cost and environmental benefits. You should aim for the design to be as simple, and to have as few components, as possible.
You can use engineering principles to minimise the use of resources, including:
- defining realistic requirements for stiffness and strength
- optimising part dimensions - for example, by using finite element analysis
- considering alternatives to thick-walled sections, such as ribbed structures, where stiffness is required
- selecting the most appropriate materials for the product lifecycle
You should consider product design at the same time as packaging design. This can help you to keep packaging to a minimum and could offer opportunities for the packaging to be used within the product once it gets to the consumer.
Package design
Packaging has to protect goods, enable easy handling and distribution, present information and act as a marketing tool for the product. However, you can design packaging so that it uses materials efficiently while ensuring that it does these jobs effectively.
Good design has a vital role to play in producing packaging that is effective and minimises the impacts on the environment. Reviewing the materials and design of your products' packaging may identify opportunities to:
- improve the protection of your product
- eliminate or reduce your packaging requirement
- optimise your packaging use, ie matching the packaging to the level of protection needed
- introduce reusable transit packaging
- use recycled materials
These approaches will deliver cost savings by minimising your consumption of resources and the quantities of waste for disposal. For more information, see our packaging design essential top tips.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/materials-and-packaging-design-reuse-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Assembly and disassembly design in electrical and electronic equipment
The attachment technique used can affect cost and how easily electrical and electronic products can be recycled.
Selecting the attachment technique that is used to assemble and disassemble your electrical and electronic products requires careful consideration.
The choice of attachment type is likely to depend on assembly cost and required performance parameters during the product's lifetime. For example, you'll need to decide whether the attachment is permanent during the product's lifetime or if it needs to be reversible for servicing, repair or upgrade. Your choice will affect the purity of recycled materials and hence their value. Reversible attachments need to be accessible, easy to remove and durable, and will give purer materials after disassembly.
Where fasteners are used, you should consider:
- making fastening points accessible, visible and clearly marked
- using a simple component orientation
- using screws in place of rivets for easier disassembly at the end of the product's life
- standardising screw heads to aid assembly and disassembly
- avoiding assemblies that require power tools
- using fasteners of the same material as the parts to be joined to optimise recycling opportunities at the end of the product's life
You can design snap-fits to allow rapid and efficient disassembly of the product, eg by ensuring that the tines are easily accessible. However, in some cases they may not provide adequate pressure on connecting parts, for example to ensure adequate conductive continuity in products requiring shielding from electromagnetic interference, and in areas with high levels of vibration.
You should avoid joining dissimilar materials using adhesives or welding. Staking techniques for joining thermoplastic parts to other materials can provide a low-cost approach, but reduce opportunities for end-of-life materials and component recycling.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/assembly-and-disassembly-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Materials recycling design in electrical and electronic equipment
Consider how materials will be recycled when electrical and electronic products have reached the end of their life.
By considering the materials used in your electrical and electronic products, you could improve their recyclability and overall environmental impact.
Plastics
Though a large proportion of electrical and electronic equipment is made out of plastic to reduce manufacturing costs, current recycling technology cannot return the plastic to its original performance specification. To help with recycling, you should use as few types of plastic as possible.
Discussions with materials suppliers should help you to decide whether to use a specialist plastic or a commodity plastic. Commodity plastics are generally cheaper and may provide greater security of supply compared to specialist plastics.
You should also consider the design of the injection moulding process. Some design features and process steps can degrade polymers and reduce the quality of the plastic for recycling.
In some cases, there may be opportunities to use both virgin polymer and the same type of recycled polymer for different parts of the product. This will not affect recycling value at the product's end of life and may offer cost savings.
To help the recycling process at the product's end of life, you should mark plastic polymers with the material category and date of manufacture. Flexible tooling using tool inserts will allow you to change in-mould marking if the polymer material is changed.
Metals
Reverting to using metal instead of plastics would require you to improve your product designs to make components and sub-assemblies thinner, smaller, lighter or less numerous. Using heavier metals may have impacts on transport and fuel efficiency when your products are distributed.
Metal also has higher embedded carbon than other materials, so you should remember this if your business is looking to reduce its carbon footprint. If you use metals such as aluminium with recycled content, this can bring the embedded carbon down significantly.
New metal alloys are being developed which may offer additional end-of-life benefits compared to plastics.
Labelling, adhesives and coatings
You should avoid labels and adhesives unless they are compatible with the moulding polymer for recycling.
You can mould information on to a product using a different surface finish to increase visibility. Consider ultrasonic welding, heat staking and spin welding, hot-plate or hot-gas welding where an adhesive with recycling compatibility is not available.
You should make sure your products are marked with a crossed-out wheeled bin symbol - see waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/materials-recycling-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Design out hazardous substances from electrical and electronic equipment
Alternatives to hazardous substances should be considered when designing electrical and electronic products.
You should design electrical and electronic equipment so that the use of hazardous substances is kept to a minimum.
Your products must comply with limits on the use of certain hazardous substances. Alternatives for these hazardous substances should be used where possible:
- Lead - alloys based on tin-silver-copper (Sn-Ag-Cu) will probably be the first choice to replace lead solder. Tin-silver-bismuth (Sn-Ag-Bi) type alloys are likely to be used for surface mount consumer products and tin-copper (Sn-Cu) solders may be developed for wave soldering.
- Mercury - most manufacturers phased out the use of mercury in these applications in the early 1990s. Today, there are drop-in replacements for these components which do not use mercury.
- Cadmium - alternatives include tin and its alloys, zinc and its alloys, ion vapour deposition, nickel and epoxide.
- Hexavalent chromium - where coatings are required, alternatives include zinc-based coatings and compounds, nickel-based coatings, copper, silver, modified primer or paint technologies.
- Brominated flame retardants - flame retardants are added to polymers used in electrical and electronic products to ensure that they meet international standards. Halogen-free flame retardants include aluminium trioxide, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium carbonate, phosphate esters, melamine derivatives and zinc borate.
For more information on the legal limits that apply, see restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/design-out-hazardous-substances-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Components and printed circuit board efficient design
Some of the different options for businesses when designing components and printed circuit boards to reduce costs.
Regular consultation with component suppliers, printed circuit board (PCB) fabricators and assemblers is essential to reducing manufacturing and assembly costs.
For electrical and electronic product design, you should start with component specification as this has a knock-on effect on other production issues.
The packaging of components has a major impact on the design of PCBs and how easy they are to assemble. Some components are available with a range of packaging options.
Design rules for PCBs
Once the component specification has been agreed, you should use the design rules provided by fabricators and assemblers to guide the PCB design. Maximising hole sizes, making tracks and gaps bigger and reducing the number of layers will optimise yield and reduce cost at the fabricator and assembler.
Your designer should agree the testing process to be used with the assembly house and design the PCB to allow simple, quick and effective testing.
Design-for-manufacturing (DFM)
DFM checking is a common practice to ensure well-manufactured design geometries. There are considerable benefits from carrying out DFM checking at the design stage, such as fewer revision spins and faster time to market, as well as reduced fabrication and assembly costs.
The design software currently used by designers checks the electronic functionality of the PCB design, but may not include DFM checking. In this case, designers should consider investing in DFM software.
Although the software is supplied with a generic set of fabrication and assembly design rules, you should advise designers to customise the software with the design rules for their individual fabricators and assemblers.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/components-and-printed-circuit-board-efficient-design
Links
Connections and power requirements for efficient electrical and electronic equipment
How electrical and electronic equipment producers can design efficient connections and power requirements.
When designing electrical and electronic equipment you should consider the financial and environmental impact of different options for connections and power requirements.
Connections
For component and printed circuit board (PCB) connections, you should consider:
- standardising connector types to aid assembly
- designing modules and sub-assemblies to be independently testable
- using plug-in boards to aid assembly and disassembly
- making high-value components surface-mounted or socket-fitted to aid removal from units that fail quality inspections and make it easier for components to be reused at the end of the product's life
- grouping hazardous materials and components together on the PCB and incorporating perforated 'snap lines'
Power requirements
Designing products with lower energy consumption provides tangible cost savings to customers and can be exploited as a valuable marketing benefit. You can design electronic products to minimise energy consumption and costs during use by:
- using low voltage logic
- designing an energy efficient standby mode - or removing the standby mode altogether
- making the product compatible with other energy efficient devices
- increasing the thermal tolerance of the design to avoid the use of cooling fans or air conditioning
- improving the insulation of hot or cold elements
- looking at recovery of excess heat output
Manufacturers, suppliers and importers of energy-using and energy related products are required to consider the environmental impact of products in the design stages under the European Ecodesign Directive. Once products are covered by implementing measures - usually in the form of regulations - manufacturers and suppliers have to achieve minimum energy efficiency standards, carry out conformity testing and affix a CE mark. For detailed information on these requirements see energy labelling and ecodesign of energy-related products.
You should consider using batteries with high energy efficiency and low environmental impact. Nickel metal hydride offers more than twice the volumetric energy density - energy stored within a given volume - of cheaper nickel cadmium batteries.
Lithium ion (LiON) batteries offer still higher energy density. LiON batteries are smaller, lighter and contain less heavy metal content.
You must make sure that any batteries you use comply with limits on hazardous substances - see batteries responsibilities for business.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/connections-and-power-requirements-efficient-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Materials recycling design in electrical and electronic equipment
In this guide:
- Design efficient electrical and electronic equipment
- Advantages of efficient design of electrical and electronic equipment
- Eco-design in product development process for electrical and electronic equipment
- Materials and packaging design for reuse in electrical and electronic equipment
- Assembly and disassembly design in electrical and electronic equipment
- Materials recycling design in electrical and electronic equipment
- Design out hazardous substances from electrical and electronic equipment
- Components and printed circuit board efficient design
- Connections and power requirements for efficient electrical and electronic equipment
Advantages of efficient design of electrical and electronic equipment
How businesses producing electrical and electronic equipment can benefit from good design practice.
There are a number of ways in which businesses involved with producing electrical and electronic equipment can benefit from efficient product design.
Using efficient design for your products will help you to comply with legislation that controls product design, eg restrictions on energy use and hazardous substances - see energy labelling and ecodesign of energy-related products and restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).
Efficient product design can also enable you to cut your costs - for example, by reducing the amount you pay to buy materials and dispose of waste.
Marketing opportunities
Designing your products so that they can be easily serviced and upgraded to extend the product's lifetime can provide marketing benefits and enhance brand value. This may include:
- considering higher specification components, sub-assemblies and printed circuit boards to provide greater product reliability
- designing parts for equal lifetime, since failure of a single part often means that the whole product is discarded
- designing for disassembly to ensure that products can be taken apart efficiently
- modularising to enable product upgrade and repair
- ensuring replaceable and upgradable components have easy accessibility
- considering how best to supply spares
- reducing packaging materials
- planning for end of life reuse and recycling
- reducing whole-of-life energy use
Using environmental labelling or green claims can provide marketing benefits by highlighting that your products are designed specifically to reduce their overall environmental impact - see how to market your environmental credentials.
Supply chain
By presenting yourself as a business with environmental credentials, you can exert pressure on your suppliers by:
- dealing only with suppliers that have an environmental management system certified to a standard such as ISO 14001
- asking your suppliers to demonstrate that they manufacture their products, components or materials in an environmentally responsible manner
- looking out for suppliers that offer sustainable product design advice on the sub-assemblies they manufacture
Reducing the costs and environmental impact of suppliers may mean that they can charge you less - see supply chain efficiency.
Functionality and service innovation
Efficient product design can stimulate innovation and lead to radical changes in your products themselves. For example, if customers simply want to use the service provided by a product, then leasing may be the best way forward. The ongoing income stream provided by selling services can be advantageous to your business model.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/advantages-efficient-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Eco-design in product development process for electrical and electronic equipment
What to consider when incorporating eco-design into the development process for electrical and electronic products.
You should consider eco-design as early as possible in the development process for electrical and electronic products. You can incorporate it into your product development by:
- raising awareness of eco-design at the concept stage and then providing continual reminders throughout the process
- introducing checklists to capture eco-design improvement opportunities and ensuring they are addressed throughout the process
- communicating good design tips and ideas and discussing eco-design issues
You should also consider:
- investing time at the concept and feasibility stages as this will pay dividends and avoid the need for more expensive design changes later in the design process
- clearly defining the feasibility stage and production of design specifications early on with all relevant business aspects and external stakeholders
- training key staff in the team on eco-design issues, approaches and tools
- keeping your design-systems' hardware and software up to date and encouraging your product development team to keep up with the latest developments
You should think about how design changes will affect other stages and aspects of the product's lifecycle, such as:
- purchasing
- manufacturing
- distribution
- marketing
- quality
- health and safety
For more information on the processes involved in eco-design, see ecodesign for goods and services.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/eco-design-product-development-process-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Materials and packaging design for reuse in electrical and electronic equipment
Reducing costs by using raw materials and packaging efficiently when designing electrical and electronic equipment.
When designing electrical and electronic equipment you should consider the way you will use raw materials. Using fewer materials and fewer different types over the lifecycle of products will generate less waste and can deliver cost and environmental benefits. You should aim for the design to be as simple, and to have as few components, as possible.
You can use engineering principles to minimise the use of resources, including:
- defining realistic requirements for stiffness and strength
- optimising part dimensions - for example, by using finite element analysis
- considering alternatives to thick-walled sections, such as ribbed structures, where stiffness is required
- selecting the most appropriate materials for the product lifecycle
You should consider product design at the same time as packaging design. This can help you to keep packaging to a minimum and could offer opportunities for the packaging to be used within the product once it gets to the consumer.
Package design
Packaging has to protect goods, enable easy handling and distribution, present information and act as a marketing tool for the product. However, you can design packaging so that it uses materials efficiently while ensuring that it does these jobs effectively.
Good design has a vital role to play in producing packaging that is effective and minimises the impacts on the environment. Reviewing the materials and design of your products' packaging may identify opportunities to:
- improve the protection of your product
- eliminate or reduce your packaging requirement
- optimise your packaging use, ie matching the packaging to the level of protection needed
- introduce reusable transit packaging
- use recycled materials
These approaches will deliver cost savings by minimising your consumption of resources and the quantities of waste for disposal. For more information, see our packaging design essential top tips.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/materials-and-packaging-design-reuse-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Assembly and disassembly design in electrical and electronic equipment
The attachment technique used can affect cost and how easily electrical and electronic products can be recycled.
Selecting the attachment technique that is used to assemble and disassemble your electrical and electronic products requires careful consideration.
The choice of attachment type is likely to depend on assembly cost and required performance parameters during the product's lifetime. For example, you'll need to decide whether the attachment is permanent during the product's lifetime or if it needs to be reversible for servicing, repair or upgrade. Your choice will affect the purity of recycled materials and hence their value. Reversible attachments need to be accessible, easy to remove and durable, and will give purer materials after disassembly.
Where fasteners are used, you should consider:
- making fastening points accessible, visible and clearly marked
- using a simple component orientation
- using screws in place of rivets for easier disassembly at the end of the product's life
- standardising screw heads to aid assembly and disassembly
- avoiding assemblies that require power tools
- using fasteners of the same material as the parts to be joined to optimise recycling opportunities at the end of the product's life
You can design snap-fits to allow rapid and efficient disassembly of the product, eg by ensuring that the tines are easily accessible. However, in some cases they may not provide adequate pressure on connecting parts, for example to ensure adequate conductive continuity in products requiring shielding from electromagnetic interference, and in areas with high levels of vibration.
You should avoid joining dissimilar materials using adhesives or welding. Staking techniques for joining thermoplastic parts to other materials can provide a low-cost approach, but reduce opportunities for end-of-life materials and component recycling.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/assembly-and-disassembly-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Materials recycling design in electrical and electronic equipment
Consider how materials will be recycled when electrical and electronic products have reached the end of their life.
By considering the materials used in your electrical and electronic products, you could improve their recyclability and overall environmental impact.
Plastics
Though a large proportion of electrical and electronic equipment is made out of plastic to reduce manufacturing costs, current recycling technology cannot return the plastic to its original performance specification. To help with recycling, you should use as few types of plastic as possible.
Discussions with materials suppliers should help you to decide whether to use a specialist plastic or a commodity plastic. Commodity plastics are generally cheaper and may provide greater security of supply compared to specialist plastics.
You should also consider the design of the injection moulding process. Some design features and process steps can degrade polymers and reduce the quality of the plastic for recycling.
In some cases, there may be opportunities to use both virgin polymer and the same type of recycled polymer for different parts of the product. This will not affect recycling value at the product's end of life and may offer cost savings.
To help the recycling process at the product's end of life, you should mark plastic polymers with the material category and date of manufacture. Flexible tooling using tool inserts will allow you to change in-mould marking if the polymer material is changed.
Metals
Reverting to using metal instead of plastics would require you to improve your product designs to make components and sub-assemblies thinner, smaller, lighter or less numerous. Using heavier metals may have impacts on transport and fuel efficiency when your products are distributed.
Metal also has higher embedded carbon than other materials, so you should remember this if your business is looking to reduce its carbon footprint. If you use metals such as aluminium with recycled content, this can bring the embedded carbon down significantly.
New metal alloys are being developed which may offer additional end-of-life benefits compared to plastics.
Labelling, adhesives and coatings
You should avoid labels and adhesives unless they are compatible with the moulding polymer for recycling.
You can mould information on to a product using a different surface finish to increase visibility. Consider ultrasonic welding, heat staking and spin welding, hot-plate or hot-gas welding where an adhesive with recycling compatibility is not available.
You should make sure your products are marked with a crossed-out wheeled bin symbol - see waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/materials-recycling-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Design out hazardous substances from electrical and electronic equipment
Alternatives to hazardous substances should be considered when designing electrical and electronic products.
You should design electrical and electronic equipment so that the use of hazardous substances is kept to a minimum.
Your products must comply with limits on the use of certain hazardous substances. Alternatives for these hazardous substances should be used where possible:
- Lead - alloys based on tin-silver-copper (Sn-Ag-Cu) will probably be the first choice to replace lead solder. Tin-silver-bismuth (Sn-Ag-Bi) type alloys are likely to be used for surface mount consumer products and tin-copper (Sn-Cu) solders may be developed for wave soldering.
- Mercury - most manufacturers phased out the use of mercury in these applications in the early 1990s. Today, there are drop-in replacements for these components which do not use mercury.
- Cadmium - alternatives include tin and its alloys, zinc and its alloys, ion vapour deposition, nickel and epoxide.
- Hexavalent chromium - where coatings are required, alternatives include zinc-based coatings and compounds, nickel-based coatings, copper, silver, modified primer or paint technologies.
- Brominated flame retardants - flame retardants are added to polymers used in electrical and electronic products to ensure that they meet international standards. Halogen-free flame retardants include aluminium trioxide, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium carbonate, phosphate esters, melamine derivatives and zinc borate.
For more information on the legal limits that apply, see restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/design-out-hazardous-substances-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Components and printed circuit board efficient design
Some of the different options for businesses when designing components and printed circuit boards to reduce costs.
Regular consultation with component suppliers, printed circuit board (PCB) fabricators and assemblers is essential to reducing manufacturing and assembly costs.
For electrical and electronic product design, you should start with component specification as this has a knock-on effect on other production issues.
The packaging of components has a major impact on the design of PCBs and how easy they are to assemble. Some components are available with a range of packaging options.
Design rules for PCBs
Once the component specification has been agreed, you should use the design rules provided by fabricators and assemblers to guide the PCB design. Maximising hole sizes, making tracks and gaps bigger and reducing the number of layers will optimise yield and reduce cost at the fabricator and assembler.
Your designer should agree the testing process to be used with the assembly house and design the PCB to allow simple, quick and effective testing.
Design-for-manufacturing (DFM)
DFM checking is a common practice to ensure well-manufactured design geometries. There are considerable benefits from carrying out DFM checking at the design stage, such as fewer revision spins and faster time to market, as well as reduced fabrication and assembly costs.
The design software currently used by designers checks the electronic functionality of the PCB design, but may not include DFM checking. In this case, designers should consider investing in DFM software.
Although the software is supplied with a generic set of fabrication and assembly design rules, you should advise designers to customise the software with the design rules for their individual fabricators and assemblers.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/components-and-printed-circuit-board-efficient-design
Links
Connections and power requirements for efficient electrical and electronic equipment
How electrical and electronic equipment producers can design efficient connections and power requirements.
When designing electrical and electronic equipment you should consider the financial and environmental impact of different options for connections and power requirements.
Connections
For component and printed circuit board (PCB) connections, you should consider:
- standardising connector types to aid assembly
- designing modules and sub-assemblies to be independently testable
- using plug-in boards to aid assembly and disassembly
- making high-value components surface-mounted or socket-fitted to aid removal from units that fail quality inspections and make it easier for components to be reused at the end of the product's life
- grouping hazardous materials and components together on the PCB and incorporating perforated 'snap lines'
Power requirements
Designing products with lower energy consumption provides tangible cost savings to customers and can be exploited as a valuable marketing benefit. You can design electronic products to minimise energy consumption and costs during use by:
- using low voltage logic
- designing an energy efficient standby mode - or removing the standby mode altogether
- making the product compatible with other energy efficient devices
- increasing the thermal tolerance of the design to avoid the use of cooling fans or air conditioning
- improving the insulation of hot or cold elements
- looking at recovery of excess heat output
Manufacturers, suppliers and importers of energy-using and energy related products are required to consider the environmental impact of products in the design stages under the European Ecodesign Directive. Once products are covered by implementing measures - usually in the form of regulations - manufacturers and suppliers have to achieve minimum energy efficiency standards, carry out conformity testing and affix a CE mark. For detailed information on these requirements see energy labelling and ecodesign of energy-related products.
You should consider using batteries with high energy efficiency and low environmental impact. Nickel metal hydride offers more than twice the volumetric energy density - energy stored within a given volume - of cheaper nickel cadmium batteries.
Lithium ion (LiON) batteries offer still higher energy density. LiON batteries are smaller, lighter and contain less heavy metal content.
You must make sure that any batteries you use comply with limits on hazardous substances - see batteries responsibilities for business.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/connections-and-power-requirements-efficient-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Assembly and disassembly design in electrical and electronic equipment
In this guide:
- Design efficient electrical and electronic equipment
- Advantages of efficient design of electrical and electronic equipment
- Eco-design in product development process for electrical and electronic equipment
- Materials and packaging design for reuse in electrical and electronic equipment
- Assembly and disassembly design in electrical and electronic equipment
- Materials recycling design in electrical and electronic equipment
- Design out hazardous substances from electrical and electronic equipment
- Components and printed circuit board efficient design
- Connections and power requirements for efficient electrical and electronic equipment
Advantages of efficient design of electrical and electronic equipment
How businesses producing electrical and electronic equipment can benefit from good design practice.
There are a number of ways in which businesses involved with producing electrical and electronic equipment can benefit from efficient product design.
Using efficient design for your products will help you to comply with legislation that controls product design, eg restrictions on energy use and hazardous substances - see energy labelling and ecodesign of energy-related products and restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).
Efficient product design can also enable you to cut your costs - for example, by reducing the amount you pay to buy materials and dispose of waste.
Marketing opportunities
Designing your products so that they can be easily serviced and upgraded to extend the product's lifetime can provide marketing benefits and enhance brand value. This may include:
- considering higher specification components, sub-assemblies and printed circuit boards to provide greater product reliability
- designing parts for equal lifetime, since failure of a single part often means that the whole product is discarded
- designing for disassembly to ensure that products can be taken apart efficiently
- modularising to enable product upgrade and repair
- ensuring replaceable and upgradable components have easy accessibility
- considering how best to supply spares
- reducing packaging materials
- planning for end of life reuse and recycling
- reducing whole-of-life energy use
Using environmental labelling or green claims can provide marketing benefits by highlighting that your products are designed specifically to reduce their overall environmental impact - see how to market your environmental credentials.
Supply chain
By presenting yourself as a business with environmental credentials, you can exert pressure on your suppliers by:
- dealing only with suppliers that have an environmental management system certified to a standard such as ISO 14001
- asking your suppliers to demonstrate that they manufacture their products, components or materials in an environmentally responsible manner
- looking out for suppliers that offer sustainable product design advice on the sub-assemblies they manufacture
Reducing the costs and environmental impact of suppliers may mean that they can charge you less - see supply chain efficiency.
Functionality and service innovation
Efficient product design can stimulate innovation and lead to radical changes in your products themselves. For example, if customers simply want to use the service provided by a product, then leasing may be the best way forward. The ongoing income stream provided by selling services can be advantageous to your business model.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/advantages-efficient-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Eco-design in product development process for electrical and electronic equipment
What to consider when incorporating eco-design into the development process for electrical and electronic products.
You should consider eco-design as early as possible in the development process for electrical and electronic products. You can incorporate it into your product development by:
- raising awareness of eco-design at the concept stage and then providing continual reminders throughout the process
- introducing checklists to capture eco-design improvement opportunities and ensuring they are addressed throughout the process
- communicating good design tips and ideas and discussing eco-design issues
You should also consider:
- investing time at the concept and feasibility stages as this will pay dividends and avoid the need for more expensive design changes later in the design process
- clearly defining the feasibility stage and production of design specifications early on with all relevant business aspects and external stakeholders
- training key staff in the team on eco-design issues, approaches and tools
- keeping your design-systems' hardware and software up to date and encouraging your product development team to keep up with the latest developments
You should think about how design changes will affect other stages and aspects of the product's lifecycle, such as:
- purchasing
- manufacturing
- distribution
- marketing
- quality
- health and safety
For more information on the processes involved in eco-design, see ecodesign for goods and services.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/eco-design-product-development-process-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Materials and packaging design for reuse in electrical and electronic equipment
Reducing costs by using raw materials and packaging efficiently when designing electrical and electronic equipment.
When designing electrical and electronic equipment you should consider the way you will use raw materials. Using fewer materials and fewer different types over the lifecycle of products will generate less waste and can deliver cost and environmental benefits. You should aim for the design to be as simple, and to have as few components, as possible.
You can use engineering principles to minimise the use of resources, including:
- defining realistic requirements for stiffness and strength
- optimising part dimensions - for example, by using finite element analysis
- considering alternatives to thick-walled sections, such as ribbed structures, where stiffness is required
- selecting the most appropriate materials for the product lifecycle
You should consider product design at the same time as packaging design. This can help you to keep packaging to a minimum and could offer opportunities for the packaging to be used within the product once it gets to the consumer.
Package design
Packaging has to protect goods, enable easy handling and distribution, present information and act as a marketing tool for the product. However, you can design packaging so that it uses materials efficiently while ensuring that it does these jobs effectively.
Good design has a vital role to play in producing packaging that is effective and minimises the impacts on the environment. Reviewing the materials and design of your products' packaging may identify opportunities to:
- improve the protection of your product
- eliminate or reduce your packaging requirement
- optimise your packaging use, ie matching the packaging to the level of protection needed
- introduce reusable transit packaging
- use recycled materials
These approaches will deliver cost savings by minimising your consumption of resources and the quantities of waste for disposal. For more information, see our packaging design essential top tips.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/materials-and-packaging-design-reuse-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Assembly and disassembly design in electrical and electronic equipment
The attachment technique used can affect cost and how easily electrical and electronic products can be recycled.
Selecting the attachment technique that is used to assemble and disassemble your electrical and electronic products requires careful consideration.
The choice of attachment type is likely to depend on assembly cost and required performance parameters during the product's lifetime. For example, you'll need to decide whether the attachment is permanent during the product's lifetime or if it needs to be reversible for servicing, repair or upgrade. Your choice will affect the purity of recycled materials and hence their value. Reversible attachments need to be accessible, easy to remove and durable, and will give purer materials after disassembly.
Where fasteners are used, you should consider:
- making fastening points accessible, visible and clearly marked
- using a simple component orientation
- using screws in place of rivets for easier disassembly at the end of the product's life
- standardising screw heads to aid assembly and disassembly
- avoiding assemblies that require power tools
- using fasteners of the same material as the parts to be joined to optimise recycling opportunities at the end of the product's life
You can design snap-fits to allow rapid and efficient disassembly of the product, eg by ensuring that the tines are easily accessible. However, in some cases they may not provide adequate pressure on connecting parts, for example to ensure adequate conductive continuity in products requiring shielding from electromagnetic interference, and in areas with high levels of vibration.
You should avoid joining dissimilar materials using adhesives or welding. Staking techniques for joining thermoplastic parts to other materials can provide a low-cost approach, but reduce opportunities for end-of-life materials and component recycling.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/assembly-and-disassembly-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Materials recycling design in electrical and electronic equipment
Consider how materials will be recycled when electrical and electronic products have reached the end of their life.
By considering the materials used in your electrical and electronic products, you could improve their recyclability and overall environmental impact.
Plastics
Though a large proportion of electrical and electronic equipment is made out of plastic to reduce manufacturing costs, current recycling technology cannot return the plastic to its original performance specification. To help with recycling, you should use as few types of plastic as possible.
Discussions with materials suppliers should help you to decide whether to use a specialist plastic or a commodity plastic. Commodity plastics are generally cheaper and may provide greater security of supply compared to specialist plastics.
You should also consider the design of the injection moulding process. Some design features and process steps can degrade polymers and reduce the quality of the plastic for recycling.
In some cases, there may be opportunities to use both virgin polymer and the same type of recycled polymer for different parts of the product. This will not affect recycling value at the product's end of life and may offer cost savings.
To help the recycling process at the product's end of life, you should mark plastic polymers with the material category and date of manufacture. Flexible tooling using tool inserts will allow you to change in-mould marking if the polymer material is changed.
Metals
Reverting to using metal instead of plastics would require you to improve your product designs to make components and sub-assemblies thinner, smaller, lighter or less numerous. Using heavier metals may have impacts on transport and fuel efficiency when your products are distributed.
Metal also has higher embedded carbon than other materials, so you should remember this if your business is looking to reduce its carbon footprint. If you use metals such as aluminium with recycled content, this can bring the embedded carbon down significantly.
New metal alloys are being developed which may offer additional end-of-life benefits compared to plastics.
Labelling, adhesives and coatings
You should avoid labels and adhesives unless they are compatible with the moulding polymer for recycling.
You can mould information on to a product using a different surface finish to increase visibility. Consider ultrasonic welding, heat staking and spin welding, hot-plate or hot-gas welding where an adhesive with recycling compatibility is not available.
You should make sure your products are marked with a crossed-out wheeled bin symbol - see waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/materials-recycling-design-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Design out hazardous substances from electrical and electronic equipment
Alternatives to hazardous substances should be considered when designing electrical and electronic products.
You should design electrical and electronic equipment so that the use of hazardous substances is kept to a minimum.
Your products must comply with limits on the use of certain hazardous substances. Alternatives for these hazardous substances should be used where possible:
- Lead - alloys based on tin-silver-copper (Sn-Ag-Cu) will probably be the first choice to replace lead solder. Tin-silver-bismuth (Sn-Ag-Bi) type alloys are likely to be used for surface mount consumer products and tin-copper (Sn-Cu) solders may be developed for wave soldering.
- Mercury - most manufacturers phased out the use of mercury in these applications in the early 1990s. Today, there are drop-in replacements for these components which do not use mercury.
- Cadmium - alternatives include tin and its alloys, zinc and its alloys, ion vapour deposition, nickel and epoxide.
- Hexavalent chromium - where coatings are required, alternatives include zinc-based coatings and compounds, nickel-based coatings, copper, silver, modified primer or paint technologies.
- Brominated flame retardants - flame retardants are added to polymers used in electrical and electronic products to ensure that they meet international standards. Halogen-free flame retardants include aluminium trioxide, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium carbonate, phosphate esters, melamine derivatives and zinc borate.
For more information on the legal limits that apply, see restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/design-out-hazardous-substances-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Components and printed circuit board efficient design
Some of the different options for businesses when designing components and printed circuit boards to reduce costs.
Regular consultation with component suppliers, printed circuit board (PCB) fabricators and assemblers is essential to reducing manufacturing and assembly costs.
For electrical and electronic product design, you should start with component specification as this has a knock-on effect on other production issues.
The packaging of components has a major impact on the design of PCBs and how easy they are to assemble. Some components are available with a range of packaging options.
Design rules for PCBs
Once the component specification has been agreed, you should use the design rules provided by fabricators and assemblers to guide the PCB design. Maximising hole sizes, making tracks and gaps bigger and reducing the number of layers will optimise yield and reduce cost at the fabricator and assembler.
Your designer should agree the testing process to be used with the assembly house and design the PCB to allow simple, quick and effective testing.
Design-for-manufacturing (DFM)
DFM checking is a common practice to ensure well-manufactured design geometries. There are considerable benefits from carrying out DFM checking at the design stage, such as fewer revision spins and faster time to market, as well as reduced fabrication and assembly costs.
The design software currently used by designers checks the electronic functionality of the PCB design, but may not include DFM checking. In this case, designers should consider investing in DFM software.
Although the software is supplied with a generic set of fabrication and assembly design rules, you should advise designers to customise the software with the design rules for their individual fabricators and assemblers.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/components-and-printed-circuit-board-efficient-design
Links
Connections and power requirements for efficient electrical and electronic equipment
How electrical and electronic equipment producers can design efficient connections and power requirements.
When designing electrical and electronic equipment you should consider the financial and environmental impact of different options for connections and power requirements.
Connections
For component and printed circuit board (PCB) connections, you should consider:
- standardising connector types to aid assembly
- designing modules and sub-assemblies to be independently testable
- using plug-in boards to aid assembly and disassembly
- making high-value components surface-mounted or socket-fitted to aid removal from units that fail quality inspections and make it easier for components to be reused at the end of the product's life
- grouping hazardous materials and components together on the PCB and incorporating perforated 'snap lines'
Power requirements
Designing products with lower energy consumption provides tangible cost savings to customers and can be exploited as a valuable marketing benefit. You can design electronic products to minimise energy consumption and costs during use by:
- using low voltage logic
- designing an energy efficient standby mode - or removing the standby mode altogether
- making the product compatible with other energy efficient devices
- increasing the thermal tolerance of the design to avoid the use of cooling fans or air conditioning
- improving the insulation of hot or cold elements
- looking at recovery of excess heat output
Manufacturers, suppliers and importers of energy-using and energy related products are required to consider the environmental impact of products in the design stages under the European Ecodesign Directive. Once products are covered by implementing measures - usually in the form of regulations - manufacturers and suppliers have to achieve minimum energy efficiency standards, carry out conformity testing and affix a CE mark. For detailed information on these requirements see energy labelling and ecodesign of energy-related products.
You should consider using batteries with high energy efficiency and low environmental impact. Nickel metal hydride offers more than twice the volumetric energy density - energy stored within a given volume - of cheaper nickel cadmium batteries.
Lithium ion (LiON) batteries offer still higher energy density. LiON batteries are smaller, lighter and contain less heavy metal content.
You must make sure that any batteries you use comply with limits on hazardous substances - see batteries responsibilities for business.
Note: From 1 January 2021 there are changes for NI businesses affected by Ecodesign and Energy Labelling standards.
Also on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/connections-and-power-requirements-efficient-electrical-and-electronic-equipment
Links
Printing business marketing waste reduction
In this guide:
- Printing business waste reduction
- Paper and substrate choices for your printing business
- Substrate waste in your printing business
- Planning, buying and stocking substrate for your printing business
- Reduce waste during production and finishing in your printing business
- Printing business common types of waste
- Printing business packaging waste reduction
- Printing business marketing waste reduction
Paper and substrate choices for your printing business
How choosing the right substrate can affect the costs and environmental impacts of printing businesses.
Each year, thousands of tonnes of paper and board ends up in the waste stream in Northern Ireland. This is a waste of a valuable resource, uses declining landfill space and can contribute to climate change. Paper from non-sustainable sources can result in the permanent destruction of forests and the communities and wildlife they support.
You should use recycled paper wherever possible as it:
- is equal in quality to paper from virgin-forest sources
- is readily available
- demonstrates that you are committed to sustainable procurement
- diverts waste paper from landfill
- need not cost more
Recycled products can have a variety of labels on them to show their recyclability and/or their recycled content.
Ecolabelled paper
You should look for paper products with ecolabelling. This means that during production, the products:
- create fewer greenhouse gas emissions
- create fewer emissions to water of chlorine compounds and organic wastes during production
- have a limit on energy consumption
- use only recycled fibres or virgin fibres from sustainably managed forests
Other substrates
There are a number of other substrates including plastics, glass, ceramics, metal and textiles, each with their own unique properties. Apart from PVC, you should usually be able to recycle all these materials easily.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/paper-and-substrate-choices-your-printing-business
Links
Substrate waste in your printing business
The main causes of wasted substrate and how printing businesses can assess how much waste substrate is costing.
Wasted substrate at printing businesses can be attributed to a series of contributing factors that include:
- poor printing
- printing-head blockage
- poor set up
- operator error
- customers changing their requirements
- producing overs
- file copies
- a mismatch between the paper requested and the printing process being used
Digital printing can offer much lower waste levels than traditional litho printing, with the potential for no set-up waste and a minimum print run of one. However, digital print is often overprinted or produced in conjunction with other types of print, and may be trimmed and finished on conventional finishing equipment. Good substrate management can help avoid waste.
Understanding your substrate loss
The first step is to understand the amount of waste substrate and what it is costing you:
- Look what is in paper skips and bins - check regularly to ensure that your staff are not placing mixed waste in the paper skip as this can cause the load to be rejected, with loss of revenue from waste sales.
- Check what is in the mixed waste bins - if you find recyclable substrate then you will lose revenue from sales of waste, as well as data about substrate waste levels.
- Monitor the amount of substrate purchased and the average cost per tonne - keep track of the amount of substrate purchased as well as the value. Calculate an average cost per kilo, sheet or tonne and communicate this information so everyone is aware what substrate costs.
- Monitor the amount of waste substrate - calculate the amount of waste substrate using data from sales invoices. Calculate the raw material cost of the waste using average purchasing cost per tonne. Waste is caused by area loss (due to trim, finishing and die-cutting) which is part of the job design, and by sheets lost in the printing process. Take a sample of 'typical' jobs - perhaps ten to 20 jobs - and calculate an average area loss percentage for your mix of work.
- Estimate the process loss - deduct the trim waste from the total waste to estimate the sheets lost. You can reduce this by good stock management, process improvement and overs reduction.
You could also set key performance indicators (KPIs). These are measurements or metrics that help you to define and measure progress towards objectives and targets. Suggested KPIs include:
- KPI of clicks wasted = clicks paid for minus clicks invoiced. If your machine is leased then there will typically be a click charge for each sheet printed. Calculate how much wasted clicks are costing you.
- KPI of percentage of waste = waste substrate divided by substrate purchased x 100. This is a KPI for the production process and you can set a target to reduce this progressively over time.
- KPI of cost of substrate waste = amount of substrate waste times average cost per tonne minus revenue from sales of waste, plus cost of waste clicks.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/substrate-waste-your-printing-business
Links
Planning, buying and stocking substrate for your printing business
Buying and stocking procedures can help printing businesses to reduce waste substrate and cut costs.
Substrate waste at printing businesses can be unnecessarily built into a job at the planning and estimating stage through incorrect choice of paper size, layout and overs allowance. You can reduce this waste in a number of ways:
- Review your policy on overs - look at how much waste is planned into the job and whether office copies are really necessary. Decide what your policy is on good overs - are they scrapped, stocked or given away? Try to find the best balance between the cost of building-in overs and the risk of a reprint if the job is short.
- Choose the right paper size - this minimises trim and area loss. Different sizes are optimum for digital only, litho/digital and bleed/no bleed.
- Fix design issues - high quantities of waste can occur when a customer has a catalogue or flyer that has a bleed on one or more edges, as this will need a larger sheet of paper for printing and then trimming. Some manufacturers offer sheet sizes to reduce trim, while you could encourage clients to avoid designs that require a bleed.
- Shape nesting - when planning die cutting or laser cutting, take care to nest shapes to minimise the area loss. Automatic nesting software is available as an option on many design packages and is worth investigating.
Purchasing and stocking
Good stock management and control are key to reducing substrate losses. Losses due to out-of-date and damaged substrate can be significant, so take sensible steps to control them:
- Keep a stock list and do a regular stock-take - this is invaluable for avoiding over-ordering and highlighting slow-moving stock.
- Avoid over-ordering - many paper merchants will deliver the next day, so there is no need to keep large stocks. Make sure the quantity you order takes current stocks into account. Ordering special sizes or paper types for a one-off job can be a problem when there is a minimum order quantity. Think about what to do with any leftovers. Can you use them on future jobs?
- Goods-in inspection procedure - you should have a clear procedure for inspecting incoming goods and a policy on what to do if staff notice damage or shortages. This can be part of your quality system.
- Stocking area - this needs to be dry and clean, but in the UK climate it does not generally need to be heated or air-conditioned. You can keep paper at a wide range of temperatures and humidity, providing you avoid extremes and sudden changes.
- Rotate stock - mark incoming stock with the date of delivery. Ensure you rotate stock so that the oldest stock gets used first.
- Damage - record write-offs due to damage and ensure a reporting and corrective action procedure is in place as part of your quality system.
- Slow-moving stock - review what to do with slow-moving stock on the stock list. You could use it on jobs, offer it to selected customers at a discount or make it into notepads.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/planning-buying-and-stocking-substrate-your-printing-business
Links
Reduce waste during production and finishing in your printing business
How printing businesses can work to reduce unnecessary waste during the production and finishing processes.
Your printing business can reduce wastage throughout the production process, right through to delivery to the customer.
You should make sure that train operators take care when handling and unwrapping paper to avoid damage and creasing - this can cause paper jams and rejects. Make sure they are clear what to do with any leftover paper at the end of a job.
When overprinting digital on litho print, you may need to adjust the position to fit. Reduce waste by using litho make-ready sheets - with the correct position - to set up the job.
Reuse the pallets and boxes that packaged the raw materials to package the finished product.
Digital print is often used for personalised and numbered work. Paper jams or waste in subsequent operations - such as finishing or enveloping - can mean time-consuming make-ups and expensive, confidential destruction of the waste. Delays caused by make-ups can also have an impact on customer service.
Calculate the cost of make-ups including time, materials and waste costs. The results could encourage you to investigate the causes of the waste more thoroughly. Minimising make-ups could be a cost-saving opportunity. Where cost is an issue, set up a key performance indicator of make-ups as a percentage of output and use this to set targets for an improvement project.
Investigate how variable your finishing operations are. If most jobs go through satisfactorily but there is an occasional problem, then high overs allowances are not the right solution - they will increase waste without preventing the problem. Investigate and fix the cause of the difficulty and set a lower overs allowance for the routine jobs.
If finishing waste is routinely high, consider setting up a process improvement project to understand and tackle the root causes.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/reduce-waste-during-production-and-finishing-your-printing-business
Links
Printing business common types of waste
The different options that printing businesses should consider when dealing with common types of waste.
The most cost-effective way of dealing with waste - and the best for the environment - is usually to reduce or eliminate it, then to reuse, recover or recycle it. You should only send waste to landfill as a last resort. Most waste from printing businesses can be reused or recycled.
You can recycle the majority of papers. Some waste recycling businesses may charge a fee to cover the collection and treatment costs, though this will always be less than the cost of disposing to landfill.
Many manufacturers now offer a return service to allow you to return printer cartridges for recycling. However, some toners contain dangerous substances and must be treated as hazardous waste at the end of their life. This may not prevent it being collected for recycling, but there are legal requirements to ensure that the waste is transferred correctly and safely.
Toner bottles are sometimes a problem for recycling because the toner dust contaminates the plastic and causes a handling problem. The plastic bottle is also very bulky and lightweight and thus has a low recycling value to plastic reprocessors. A collection scheme solely for toner bottles could have a negative environmental effect because of the transport requirements caused by the bulkiness of the product.
Some manufacturers have established recycling systems for toner bottles as part of an overall recovery programme. You should discuss the best way to deal with toner bottles with your supplier.
Liquids are banned from landfill and must be stored in secure containers. Hazardous waste can only be handled by specialist businesses. There are a number of waste management businesses that specialise in the disposal of printing waste.
Compact discs and DVDs can be readily recycled. They are collected and placed into batches before being treated and sold to injection moulding businesses for reuse.
You must comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, which require you to handle electrical and electronic equipment separately from other waste.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/printing-business-common-types-waste
Links
Printing business packaging waste reduction
How printing businesses can reduce waste from packaging coming onto their site and going out to clients.
If your printing business has an annual turnover of more than £2 million and handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year, you must comply with certain packaging waste obligations.
Incoming packaging
Most manufacturers will take back the packaging on equipment for reuse and recycling. However, you may receive significant quantities of packaging materials from other suppliers.
There are various options for dealing with packaging waste:
- contact your supplier to discuss your concerns about products which you think are excessively packaged
- if you are a large-volume printer, talk to your supplier about returnable packaging
- reuse the packaging for your outgoing printed products - tell your client your environmental objectives and the fact that this is reducing their costs
If you can't reuse the packaging waste your business produces on site, you may be able to find another organisation that can use it - see how to use your waste to boost profits.
You could also use a waste-exchange scheme to advertise your waste and make it available for use by others, either for sale or free collection. The exchange schemes cater for a wide range of materials and include difficult wastes that may not have recognised markets, brokers or dealers. You could use an internet search engine to look for a waste exchange near your business.
You can recycle cardboard boxes and they can usually be collected by a paper recycler. They may specify that the cardboard be separated from the paper.
Waste contractors may not be interested in collecting small volumes of waste, but there are a large number of sites that will accept deliveries.
Outgoing packaging
Remember that your clients will be facing the same problems as you do when dealing with waste, so consider:
- offering returnable packaging or take-back of used packaging - only if it is your own - for key clients with frequent orders
- ensuring that packaging levels are minimised and not excessive
- avoiding using polystyrene chips - use cardboard inserts or balled paper instead, as this is readily recycled
- using a paper-based wrapping tape rather than a plastic tape
- using water-soluble adhesives for labels and tapes
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/printing-business-packaging-waste-reduction
Links
Printing business marketing waste reduction
Businesses producing direct mail material should follow the Direct Marketing Association code of practice.
Digital printing offers a number of advantages over traditional printing for direct marketing because the minimum print run is one and the mailings can be personalised easily. However, direct mail can have environmental consequences on procurement and marketing choices.
Direct marketing standard
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has launched the PAS 2020 standard to provide businesses with the tools they need to create an environmentally friendly direct marketing campaign. PAS 2020 has been launched in response to pressure for the direct-marketing industry to take a more environmentally responsible and sustainable approach to its activities.
It focuses on establishing a set of environmental objectives, performance levels and indicators for different environmental aspects of a direct-marketing campaign. The indicators provide an indirect measure of a direct-marketing campaign's environmental impact.
If your business is involved with direct marketing, you can improve your environmental performance, and demonstrate this to your stakeholders by meeting the requirements of PAS 2020.
Envelopes and laminates
Envelope windows and laminates cannot usually be recycled, and some paper mills will reject them. You should encourage clients to avoid plastic laminates and windows and inform them of the alternatives. A recyclable laminate 'Cellogreen' and cellulose labels are now available.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/printing-business-marketing-waste-reduction
Links
Reduce waste during production and finishing in your printing business
In this guide:
- Printing business waste reduction
- Paper and substrate choices for your printing business
- Substrate waste in your printing business
- Planning, buying and stocking substrate for your printing business
- Reduce waste during production and finishing in your printing business
- Printing business common types of waste
- Printing business packaging waste reduction
- Printing business marketing waste reduction
Paper and substrate choices for your printing business
How choosing the right substrate can affect the costs and environmental impacts of printing businesses.
Each year, thousands of tonnes of paper and board ends up in the waste stream in Northern Ireland. This is a waste of a valuable resource, uses declining landfill space and can contribute to climate change. Paper from non-sustainable sources can result in the permanent destruction of forests and the communities and wildlife they support.
You should use recycled paper wherever possible as it:
- is equal in quality to paper from virgin-forest sources
- is readily available
- demonstrates that you are committed to sustainable procurement
- diverts waste paper from landfill
- need not cost more
Recycled products can have a variety of labels on them to show their recyclability and/or their recycled content.
Ecolabelled paper
You should look for paper products with ecolabelling. This means that during production, the products:
- create fewer greenhouse gas emissions
- create fewer emissions to water of chlorine compounds and organic wastes during production
- have a limit on energy consumption
- use only recycled fibres or virgin fibres from sustainably managed forests
Other substrates
There are a number of other substrates including plastics, glass, ceramics, metal and textiles, each with their own unique properties. Apart from PVC, you should usually be able to recycle all these materials easily.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/paper-and-substrate-choices-your-printing-business
Links
Substrate waste in your printing business
The main causes of wasted substrate and how printing businesses can assess how much waste substrate is costing.
Wasted substrate at printing businesses can be attributed to a series of contributing factors that include:
- poor printing
- printing-head blockage
- poor set up
- operator error
- customers changing their requirements
- producing overs
- file copies
- a mismatch between the paper requested and the printing process being used
Digital printing can offer much lower waste levels than traditional litho printing, with the potential for no set-up waste and a minimum print run of one. However, digital print is often overprinted or produced in conjunction with other types of print, and may be trimmed and finished on conventional finishing equipment. Good substrate management can help avoid waste.
Understanding your substrate loss
The first step is to understand the amount of waste substrate and what it is costing you:
- Look what is in paper skips and bins - check regularly to ensure that your staff are not placing mixed waste in the paper skip as this can cause the load to be rejected, with loss of revenue from waste sales.
- Check what is in the mixed waste bins - if you find recyclable substrate then you will lose revenue from sales of waste, as well as data about substrate waste levels.
- Monitor the amount of substrate purchased and the average cost per tonne - keep track of the amount of substrate purchased as well as the value. Calculate an average cost per kilo, sheet or tonne and communicate this information so everyone is aware what substrate costs.
- Monitor the amount of waste substrate - calculate the amount of waste substrate using data from sales invoices. Calculate the raw material cost of the waste using average purchasing cost per tonne. Waste is caused by area loss (due to trim, finishing and die-cutting) which is part of the job design, and by sheets lost in the printing process. Take a sample of 'typical' jobs - perhaps ten to 20 jobs - and calculate an average area loss percentage for your mix of work.
- Estimate the process loss - deduct the trim waste from the total waste to estimate the sheets lost. You can reduce this by good stock management, process improvement and overs reduction.
You could also set key performance indicators (KPIs). These are measurements or metrics that help you to define and measure progress towards objectives and targets. Suggested KPIs include:
- KPI of clicks wasted = clicks paid for minus clicks invoiced. If your machine is leased then there will typically be a click charge for each sheet printed. Calculate how much wasted clicks are costing you.
- KPI of percentage of waste = waste substrate divided by substrate purchased x 100. This is a KPI for the production process and you can set a target to reduce this progressively over time.
- KPI of cost of substrate waste = amount of substrate waste times average cost per tonne minus revenue from sales of waste, plus cost of waste clicks.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/substrate-waste-your-printing-business
Links
Planning, buying and stocking substrate for your printing business
Buying and stocking procedures can help printing businesses to reduce waste substrate and cut costs.
Substrate waste at printing businesses can be unnecessarily built into a job at the planning and estimating stage through incorrect choice of paper size, layout and overs allowance. You can reduce this waste in a number of ways:
- Review your policy on overs - look at how much waste is planned into the job and whether office copies are really necessary. Decide what your policy is on good overs - are they scrapped, stocked or given away? Try to find the best balance between the cost of building-in overs and the risk of a reprint if the job is short.
- Choose the right paper size - this minimises trim and area loss. Different sizes are optimum for digital only, litho/digital and bleed/no bleed.
- Fix design issues - high quantities of waste can occur when a customer has a catalogue or flyer that has a bleed on one or more edges, as this will need a larger sheet of paper for printing and then trimming. Some manufacturers offer sheet sizes to reduce trim, while you could encourage clients to avoid designs that require a bleed.
- Shape nesting - when planning die cutting or laser cutting, take care to nest shapes to minimise the area loss. Automatic nesting software is available as an option on many design packages and is worth investigating.
Purchasing and stocking
Good stock management and control are key to reducing substrate losses. Losses due to out-of-date and damaged substrate can be significant, so take sensible steps to control them:
- Keep a stock list and do a regular stock-take - this is invaluable for avoiding over-ordering and highlighting slow-moving stock.
- Avoid over-ordering - many paper merchants will deliver the next day, so there is no need to keep large stocks. Make sure the quantity you order takes current stocks into account. Ordering special sizes or paper types for a one-off job can be a problem when there is a minimum order quantity. Think about what to do with any leftovers. Can you use them on future jobs?
- Goods-in inspection procedure - you should have a clear procedure for inspecting incoming goods and a policy on what to do if staff notice damage or shortages. This can be part of your quality system.
- Stocking area - this needs to be dry and clean, but in the UK climate it does not generally need to be heated or air-conditioned. You can keep paper at a wide range of temperatures and humidity, providing you avoid extremes and sudden changes.
- Rotate stock - mark incoming stock with the date of delivery. Ensure you rotate stock so that the oldest stock gets used first.
- Damage - record write-offs due to damage and ensure a reporting and corrective action procedure is in place as part of your quality system.
- Slow-moving stock - review what to do with slow-moving stock on the stock list. You could use it on jobs, offer it to selected customers at a discount or make it into notepads.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/planning-buying-and-stocking-substrate-your-printing-business
Links
Reduce waste during production and finishing in your printing business
How printing businesses can work to reduce unnecessary waste during the production and finishing processes.
Your printing business can reduce wastage throughout the production process, right through to delivery to the customer.
You should make sure that train operators take care when handling and unwrapping paper to avoid damage and creasing - this can cause paper jams and rejects. Make sure they are clear what to do with any leftover paper at the end of a job.
When overprinting digital on litho print, you may need to adjust the position to fit. Reduce waste by using litho make-ready sheets - with the correct position - to set up the job.
Reuse the pallets and boxes that packaged the raw materials to package the finished product.
Digital print is often used for personalised and numbered work. Paper jams or waste in subsequent operations - such as finishing or enveloping - can mean time-consuming make-ups and expensive, confidential destruction of the waste. Delays caused by make-ups can also have an impact on customer service.
Calculate the cost of make-ups including time, materials and waste costs. The results could encourage you to investigate the causes of the waste more thoroughly. Minimising make-ups could be a cost-saving opportunity. Where cost is an issue, set up a key performance indicator of make-ups as a percentage of output and use this to set targets for an improvement project.
Investigate how variable your finishing operations are. If most jobs go through satisfactorily but there is an occasional problem, then high overs allowances are not the right solution - they will increase waste without preventing the problem. Investigate and fix the cause of the difficulty and set a lower overs allowance for the routine jobs.
If finishing waste is routinely high, consider setting up a process improvement project to understand and tackle the root causes.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/reduce-waste-during-production-and-finishing-your-printing-business
Links
Printing business common types of waste
The different options that printing businesses should consider when dealing with common types of waste.
The most cost-effective way of dealing with waste - and the best for the environment - is usually to reduce or eliminate it, then to reuse, recover or recycle it. You should only send waste to landfill as a last resort. Most waste from printing businesses can be reused or recycled.
You can recycle the majority of papers. Some waste recycling businesses may charge a fee to cover the collection and treatment costs, though this will always be less than the cost of disposing to landfill.
Many manufacturers now offer a return service to allow you to return printer cartridges for recycling. However, some toners contain dangerous substances and must be treated as hazardous waste at the end of their life. This may not prevent it being collected for recycling, but there are legal requirements to ensure that the waste is transferred correctly and safely.
Toner bottles are sometimes a problem for recycling because the toner dust contaminates the plastic and causes a handling problem. The plastic bottle is also very bulky and lightweight and thus has a low recycling value to plastic reprocessors. A collection scheme solely for toner bottles could have a negative environmental effect because of the transport requirements caused by the bulkiness of the product.
Some manufacturers have established recycling systems for toner bottles as part of an overall recovery programme. You should discuss the best way to deal with toner bottles with your supplier.
Liquids are banned from landfill and must be stored in secure containers. Hazardous waste can only be handled by specialist businesses. There are a number of waste management businesses that specialise in the disposal of printing waste.
Compact discs and DVDs can be readily recycled. They are collected and placed into batches before being treated and sold to injection moulding businesses for reuse.
You must comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, which require you to handle electrical and electronic equipment separately from other waste.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/printing-business-common-types-waste
Links
Printing business packaging waste reduction
How printing businesses can reduce waste from packaging coming onto their site and going out to clients.
If your printing business has an annual turnover of more than £2 million and handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year, you must comply with certain packaging waste obligations.
Incoming packaging
Most manufacturers will take back the packaging on equipment for reuse and recycling. However, you may receive significant quantities of packaging materials from other suppliers.
There are various options for dealing with packaging waste:
- contact your supplier to discuss your concerns about products which you think are excessively packaged
- if you are a large-volume printer, talk to your supplier about returnable packaging
- reuse the packaging for your outgoing printed products - tell your client your environmental objectives and the fact that this is reducing their costs
If you can't reuse the packaging waste your business produces on site, you may be able to find another organisation that can use it - see how to use your waste to boost profits.
You could also use a waste-exchange scheme to advertise your waste and make it available for use by others, either for sale or free collection. The exchange schemes cater for a wide range of materials and include difficult wastes that may not have recognised markets, brokers or dealers. You could use an internet search engine to look for a waste exchange near your business.
You can recycle cardboard boxes and they can usually be collected by a paper recycler. They may specify that the cardboard be separated from the paper.
Waste contractors may not be interested in collecting small volumes of waste, but there are a large number of sites that will accept deliveries.
Outgoing packaging
Remember that your clients will be facing the same problems as you do when dealing with waste, so consider:
- offering returnable packaging or take-back of used packaging - only if it is your own - for key clients with frequent orders
- ensuring that packaging levels are minimised and not excessive
- avoiding using polystyrene chips - use cardboard inserts or balled paper instead, as this is readily recycled
- using a paper-based wrapping tape rather than a plastic tape
- using water-soluble adhesives for labels and tapes
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/printing-business-packaging-waste-reduction
Links
Printing business marketing waste reduction
Businesses producing direct mail material should follow the Direct Marketing Association code of practice.
Digital printing offers a number of advantages over traditional printing for direct marketing because the minimum print run is one and the mailings can be personalised easily. However, direct mail can have environmental consequences on procurement and marketing choices.
Direct marketing standard
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has launched the PAS 2020 standard to provide businesses with the tools they need to create an environmentally friendly direct marketing campaign. PAS 2020 has been launched in response to pressure for the direct-marketing industry to take a more environmentally responsible and sustainable approach to its activities.
It focuses on establishing a set of environmental objectives, performance levels and indicators for different environmental aspects of a direct-marketing campaign. The indicators provide an indirect measure of a direct-marketing campaign's environmental impact.
If your business is involved with direct marketing, you can improve your environmental performance, and demonstrate this to your stakeholders by meeting the requirements of PAS 2020.
Envelopes and laminates
Envelope windows and laminates cannot usually be recycled, and some paper mills will reject them. You should encourage clients to avoid plastic laminates and windows and inform them of the alternatives. A recyclable laminate 'Cellogreen' and cellulose labels are now available.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/printing-business-marketing-waste-reduction
Links
Planning, buying and stocking substrate for your printing business
In this guide:
- Printing business waste reduction
- Paper and substrate choices for your printing business
- Substrate waste in your printing business
- Planning, buying and stocking substrate for your printing business
- Reduce waste during production and finishing in your printing business
- Printing business common types of waste
- Printing business packaging waste reduction
- Printing business marketing waste reduction
Paper and substrate choices for your printing business
How choosing the right substrate can affect the costs and environmental impacts of printing businesses.
Each year, thousands of tonnes of paper and board ends up in the waste stream in Northern Ireland. This is a waste of a valuable resource, uses declining landfill space and can contribute to climate change. Paper from non-sustainable sources can result in the permanent destruction of forests and the communities and wildlife they support.
You should use recycled paper wherever possible as it:
- is equal in quality to paper from virgin-forest sources
- is readily available
- demonstrates that you are committed to sustainable procurement
- diverts waste paper from landfill
- need not cost more
Recycled products can have a variety of labels on them to show their recyclability and/or their recycled content.
Ecolabelled paper
You should look for paper products with ecolabelling. This means that during production, the products:
- create fewer greenhouse gas emissions
- create fewer emissions to water of chlorine compounds and organic wastes during production
- have a limit on energy consumption
- use only recycled fibres or virgin fibres from sustainably managed forests
Other substrates
There are a number of other substrates including plastics, glass, ceramics, metal and textiles, each with their own unique properties. Apart from PVC, you should usually be able to recycle all these materials easily.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/paper-and-substrate-choices-your-printing-business
Links
Substrate waste in your printing business
The main causes of wasted substrate and how printing businesses can assess how much waste substrate is costing.
Wasted substrate at printing businesses can be attributed to a series of contributing factors that include:
- poor printing
- printing-head blockage
- poor set up
- operator error
- customers changing their requirements
- producing overs
- file copies
- a mismatch between the paper requested and the printing process being used
Digital printing can offer much lower waste levels than traditional litho printing, with the potential for no set-up waste and a minimum print run of one. However, digital print is often overprinted or produced in conjunction with other types of print, and may be trimmed and finished on conventional finishing equipment. Good substrate management can help avoid waste.
Understanding your substrate loss
The first step is to understand the amount of waste substrate and what it is costing you:
- Look what is in paper skips and bins - check regularly to ensure that your staff are not placing mixed waste in the paper skip as this can cause the load to be rejected, with loss of revenue from waste sales.
- Check what is in the mixed waste bins - if you find recyclable substrate then you will lose revenue from sales of waste, as well as data about substrate waste levels.
- Monitor the amount of substrate purchased and the average cost per tonne - keep track of the amount of substrate purchased as well as the value. Calculate an average cost per kilo, sheet or tonne and communicate this information so everyone is aware what substrate costs.
- Monitor the amount of waste substrate - calculate the amount of waste substrate using data from sales invoices. Calculate the raw material cost of the waste using average purchasing cost per tonne. Waste is caused by area loss (due to trim, finishing and die-cutting) which is part of the job design, and by sheets lost in the printing process. Take a sample of 'typical' jobs - perhaps ten to 20 jobs - and calculate an average area loss percentage for your mix of work.
- Estimate the process loss - deduct the trim waste from the total waste to estimate the sheets lost. You can reduce this by good stock management, process improvement and overs reduction.
You could also set key performance indicators (KPIs). These are measurements or metrics that help you to define and measure progress towards objectives and targets. Suggested KPIs include:
- KPI of clicks wasted = clicks paid for minus clicks invoiced. If your machine is leased then there will typically be a click charge for each sheet printed. Calculate how much wasted clicks are costing you.
- KPI of percentage of waste = waste substrate divided by substrate purchased x 100. This is a KPI for the production process and you can set a target to reduce this progressively over time.
- KPI of cost of substrate waste = amount of substrate waste times average cost per tonne minus revenue from sales of waste, plus cost of waste clicks.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/substrate-waste-your-printing-business
Links
Planning, buying and stocking substrate for your printing business
Buying and stocking procedures can help printing businesses to reduce waste substrate and cut costs.
Substrate waste at printing businesses can be unnecessarily built into a job at the planning and estimating stage through incorrect choice of paper size, layout and overs allowance. You can reduce this waste in a number of ways:
- Review your policy on overs - look at how much waste is planned into the job and whether office copies are really necessary. Decide what your policy is on good overs - are they scrapped, stocked or given away? Try to find the best balance between the cost of building-in overs and the risk of a reprint if the job is short.
- Choose the right paper size - this minimises trim and area loss. Different sizes are optimum for digital only, litho/digital and bleed/no bleed.
- Fix design issues - high quantities of waste can occur when a customer has a catalogue or flyer that has a bleed on one or more edges, as this will need a larger sheet of paper for printing and then trimming. Some manufacturers offer sheet sizes to reduce trim, while you could encourage clients to avoid designs that require a bleed.
- Shape nesting - when planning die cutting or laser cutting, take care to nest shapes to minimise the area loss. Automatic nesting software is available as an option on many design packages and is worth investigating.
Purchasing and stocking
Good stock management and control are key to reducing substrate losses. Losses due to out-of-date and damaged substrate can be significant, so take sensible steps to control them:
- Keep a stock list and do a regular stock-take - this is invaluable for avoiding over-ordering and highlighting slow-moving stock.
- Avoid over-ordering - many paper merchants will deliver the next day, so there is no need to keep large stocks. Make sure the quantity you order takes current stocks into account. Ordering special sizes or paper types for a one-off job can be a problem when there is a minimum order quantity. Think about what to do with any leftovers. Can you use them on future jobs?
- Goods-in inspection procedure - you should have a clear procedure for inspecting incoming goods and a policy on what to do if staff notice damage or shortages. This can be part of your quality system.
- Stocking area - this needs to be dry and clean, but in the UK climate it does not generally need to be heated or air-conditioned. You can keep paper at a wide range of temperatures and humidity, providing you avoid extremes and sudden changes.
- Rotate stock - mark incoming stock with the date of delivery. Ensure you rotate stock so that the oldest stock gets used first.
- Damage - record write-offs due to damage and ensure a reporting and corrective action procedure is in place as part of your quality system.
- Slow-moving stock - review what to do with slow-moving stock on the stock list. You could use it on jobs, offer it to selected customers at a discount or make it into notepads.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/planning-buying-and-stocking-substrate-your-printing-business
Links
Reduce waste during production and finishing in your printing business
How printing businesses can work to reduce unnecessary waste during the production and finishing processes.
Your printing business can reduce wastage throughout the production process, right through to delivery to the customer.
You should make sure that train operators take care when handling and unwrapping paper to avoid damage and creasing - this can cause paper jams and rejects. Make sure they are clear what to do with any leftover paper at the end of a job.
When overprinting digital on litho print, you may need to adjust the position to fit. Reduce waste by using litho make-ready sheets - with the correct position - to set up the job.
Reuse the pallets and boxes that packaged the raw materials to package the finished product.
Digital print is often used for personalised and numbered work. Paper jams or waste in subsequent operations - such as finishing or enveloping - can mean time-consuming make-ups and expensive, confidential destruction of the waste. Delays caused by make-ups can also have an impact on customer service.
Calculate the cost of make-ups including time, materials and waste costs. The results could encourage you to investigate the causes of the waste more thoroughly. Minimising make-ups could be a cost-saving opportunity. Where cost is an issue, set up a key performance indicator of make-ups as a percentage of output and use this to set targets for an improvement project.
Investigate how variable your finishing operations are. If most jobs go through satisfactorily but there is an occasional problem, then high overs allowances are not the right solution - they will increase waste without preventing the problem. Investigate and fix the cause of the difficulty and set a lower overs allowance for the routine jobs.
If finishing waste is routinely high, consider setting up a process improvement project to understand and tackle the root causes.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/reduce-waste-during-production-and-finishing-your-printing-business
Links
Printing business common types of waste
The different options that printing businesses should consider when dealing with common types of waste.
The most cost-effective way of dealing with waste - and the best for the environment - is usually to reduce or eliminate it, then to reuse, recover or recycle it. You should only send waste to landfill as a last resort. Most waste from printing businesses can be reused or recycled.
You can recycle the majority of papers. Some waste recycling businesses may charge a fee to cover the collection and treatment costs, though this will always be less than the cost of disposing to landfill.
Many manufacturers now offer a return service to allow you to return printer cartridges for recycling. However, some toners contain dangerous substances and must be treated as hazardous waste at the end of their life. This may not prevent it being collected for recycling, but there are legal requirements to ensure that the waste is transferred correctly and safely.
Toner bottles are sometimes a problem for recycling because the toner dust contaminates the plastic and causes a handling problem. The plastic bottle is also very bulky and lightweight and thus has a low recycling value to plastic reprocessors. A collection scheme solely for toner bottles could have a negative environmental effect because of the transport requirements caused by the bulkiness of the product.
Some manufacturers have established recycling systems for toner bottles as part of an overall recovery programme. You should discuss the best way to deal with toner bottles with your supplier.
Liquids are banned from landfill and must be stored in secure containers. Hazardous waste can only be handled by specialist businesses. There are a number of waste management businesses that specialise in the disposal of printing waste.
Compact discs and DVDs can be readily recycled. They are collected and placed into batches before being treated and sold to injection moulding businesses for reuse.
You must comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, which require you to handle electrical and electronic equipment separately from other waste.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/printing-business-common-types-waste
Links
Printing business packaging waste reduction
How printing businesses can reduce waste from packaging coming onto their site and going out to clients.
If your printing business has an annual turnover of more than £2 million and handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year, you must comply with certain packaging waste obligations.
Incoming packaging
Most manufacturers will take back the packaging on equipment for reuse and recycling. However, you may receive significant quantities of packaging materials from other suppliers.
There are various options for dealing with packaging waste:
- contact your supplier to discuss your concerns about products which you think are excessively packaged
- if you are a large-volume printer, talk to your supplier about returnable packaging
- reuse the packaging for your outgoing printed products - tell your client your environmental objectives and the fact that this is reducing their costs
If you can't reuse the packaging waste your business produces on site, you may be able to find another organisation that can use it - see how to use your waste to boost profits.
You could also use a waste-exchange scheme to advertise your waste and make it available for use by others, either for sale or free collection. The exchange schemes cater for a wide range of materials and include difficult wastes that may not have recognised markets, brokers or dealers. You could use an internet search engine to look for a waste exchange near your business.
You can recycle cardboard boxes and they can usually be collected by a paper recycler. They may specify that the cardboard be separated from the paper.
Waste contractors may not be interested in collecting small volumes of waste, but there are a large number of sites that will accept deliveries.
Outgoing packaging
Remember that your clients will be facing the same problems as you do when dealing with waste, so consider:
- offering returnable packaging or take-back of used packaging - only if it is your own - for key clients with frequent orders
- ensuring that packaging levels are minimised and not excessive
- avoiding using polystyrene chips - use cardboard inserts or balled paper instead, as this is readily recycled
- using a paper-based wrapping tape rather than a plastic tape
- using water-soluble adhesives for labels and tapes
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/printing-business-packaging-waste-reduction
Links
Printing business marketing waste reduction
Businesses producing direct mail material should follow the Direct Marketing Association code of practice.
Digital printing offers a number of advantages over traditional printing for direct marketing because the minimum print run is one and the mailings can be personalised easily. However, direct mail can have environmental consequences on procurement and marketing choices.
Direct marketing standard
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has launched the PAS 2020 standard to provide businesses with the tools they need to create an environmentally friendly direct marketing campaign. PAS 2020 has been launched in response to pressure for the direct-marketing industry to take a more environmentally responsible and sustainable approach to its activities.
It focuses on establishing a set of environmental objectives, performance levels and indicators for different environmental aspects of a direct-marketing campaign. The indicators provide an indirect measure of a direct-marketing campaign's environmental impact.
If your business is involved with direct marketing, you can improve your environmental performance, and demonstrate this to your stakeholders by meeting the requirements of PAS 2020.
Envelopes and laminates
Envelope windows and laminates cannot usually be recycled, and some paper mills will reject them. You should encourage clients to avoid plastic laminates and windows and inform them of the alternatives. A recyclable laminate 'Cellogreen' and cellulose labels are now available.
ActionsAlso on this siteContent category
Source URL
/content/printing-business-marketing-waste-reduction
Links