As with most industries,
engineers of electronic devices are focused on two main design
elements—performance and cost. Trying to find components that actually
achieve both of those usually results in some sort of trade-off. One
company, however, claims to have developed a material that helps
engineers meet their performance and cost goals, while also offering
something that has never been available before: a lightweight plastic
capable of reaching the same conductive performance as some of the
finest metal conductors on the market.
Bellingham, WA, U.S.–based Integral Technologies (www.itkg.net) says
its ElectriPlast moldable polymer blend can conduct electricity and may
just revolutionize the electronics device world. “Other plastics have
been able to conduct electricity before, but usually in the
semiconductor realm,” says William Robinson, CEO. “ElectriPlast not
only conducts electricity like aluminum, but can also carry ampier
loads. The other products on the marketplace today are carbon-based,
which at low loading of plastics, are very poor conductors.”
The
polymer blend consists of small single pellets compounded with metal
fibers that, when poured into a hot molding machine and shaped, may
help streamline production of all electronics. Carrying electrical
currents as capably as copper, while 80% lighter than traditional metal
wires or batteries, the material could become a stand-alone replacement
for metal in all types of electronics devices. “This achievement will
mean everything to an industry that has never had a moldable or
extrudable material that is truly conductive and is 80% lighter than
copper and 40% lighter than aluminum,” Robinson says. “Engineers will
now be able to design products that can be 3-D in form [and] that is
now easily moldable in multi-cavity molds, which is the cheapest form
of manufacturing.”
Although there are several
potential applications for the new material, the company sees huge
potential in audio devices. To increase sound fidelity, for example,
design engineers could use wires made of the conductive plastic. The
wires would be created from continuous conductive fibers that are
between 7 and 12 μm in diameter. Grouped into multiple fiber bundles
that characterize its equivalent wire gauge, the fibers could then be
plated with copper, silver, gold, or other highly conductive metals, to
a specific tolerance range. By increasing the surface area of the
wires, the material’s performance possibilities are enhanced, thus
creating a scalable AWG cable that has broader bandwidth while
remaining lighter, noncorrosive, and significantly less expensive than
traditional copper cables. In audio applications, the higher the audio
bandwidth, the better the sound fidelity.
Another
possible application is for laptop computers. Robinson says an engineer
looking to design a laptop with a built-in GSM/GPS antenna and that
allows very little outside interference would have a difficult time
using today’s materials. “The end design would see several antennas
protruding from the laptop,” he explains. “This could be solved by
making the whole body of the laptop out of ElectriPlast. This includes
the shielding, and then designing the antennas along the edges of the
laptop to work for any and all related frequencies—a two-in-one
solution with huge design freedoms.”
The
conductive plastic took more than five years to develop, and Integral
currently has 45 patents approved and 80 patents pending. Of course,
the company is closely guarding its proprietary recipe, but it does
name partner Jasper Rubber Products (Jasper, IN, U.S.;
www.jasperrubber.com) as a vital contributor to the successful
development of the polymer blend. “The key for success was finding a
reputable manufacturer that understood the plastic and rubber
industries,” Robinson confirms.
With more than
50 customer projects in the works now, Robinson says the material has
yet to be rejected. “The freedom that [engineers] will finally get from
using our material will become evident very quickly,” he says. However,
he does note that there will likely be some applications in which the
material will not work. “Sometimes the cheap way will win,” he says.
The
conductive plastic material also allows engineers to think outside the
box by designing one part to perform two functions. “A wireless
handheld device can now be shielded and used as an antenna, creating an
instant cost savings,” Robinson says.
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