Swancor introduces eco-friendly epoxy hardener for PCB recyclability

Swancor’s (Nantou, Taiwan) R&D team introduces EzCiclo low-dielectric epoxy hardener tailored for copper-clad laminates (CCL), enabling the use of recycled waste plastics in printed circuit board (PCB) production. The company employs a chemical process to prepare active ester oligomers from waste plastics, which serve as these epoxy resin hardeners.

PCBs are made of non-conductive laminates (dielectric) and conductive metal films. The board substrate, or core, is commonly epoxy resin and fiberglass (ceramics can be supplemented to increase the dielectric constant). Copper foils sandwiches this core on one or both sides (the CCL), creating an outer protective layer.

According to Swancor, waste PCBs are an increasingly serious problem. Since they are at the heart of most electronic devices, from smartphones to medical equipment, ensuring the PCB also complies with SDG initiatives is critical to comprehensive recycling efforts.

The EzCiclo low-dielectric epoxy hardener for PCBs uses more than 80% of waste plastic materials while retaining the properties of traditional hardeners. This solution enhances the electrical properties of epoxy resin FR4 boards, achieving Dk-2.78/Df-0.011 at 10 GHz after pure resin curing. Additionally, it increases the recyclable material content of PCBs, aligning with waste reduction and carbon reduction goals. At the end of the PCB’s life, the CCL made from Swancor’s EzCiclo can be decomposed by using the Swancor CleaVER chemical treatment, allowing the separation of the resin and glass fiber from the circuit board. It can be applied to any product that uses a PCB, including general electronic products, in-vehicle or network communications.

Through collaboration with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) in Taiwan, Swancor has developed formulations and conducted laminate tests, finding that the copper foil substrates comply with IPC specifications such as IPC-4101E/21, IPC-4101/122 and IPC-4101/125.