Shaping A Circular Future: Covestro’s High-Performance Polycarbonate Solutions For Sustainable Innovation In The Electronics Industry

Outdoor Applications: Facing the Elements

High-impact polycarbonate (PC) is crucial in various devices, including consumer electronics, industrial automation, and house appliances, demanding exceptional material performance.

The outdoor environment poses numerous challenges due to climate, location, and the specific functions of devices. For instance, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations endure prolonged UV exposure and heat during the day, while high-latitude regions face extreme low temperatures in winter, increasing the risk of material cracking. Additionally, housing for base stations must ensure not only excellent signal transparency but also strong dimensional stability to protect internal components from humidity, pressure, or impact.

APEC® XT grades are the ideal solution for these demanding conditions. They remain resilient even in the harshest conditions. The new copolymer technology enables the production of products that exhibit high impact strength even at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. These copolymers have improved chemical and ageing resistance, ensuring long-lasting durability in outdoor applications. 

The Makrolon® series also performs strongly outdoors, with specific grades like FR6020 and 6040 series tailored to meet various performance requirements, such as excellent impact resistance, heat resistance with high RTI, flame retardancy, and signal transparency, while maintaining cost efficiency.

*Source:
Nature
World Economic Forum

Portable Devices: Durability and Lightweight Design

Portable or wearable electronic devices, such as laptop, headphones, AR/VR headsets, mobile phone, require materials that withstand impacts from falls and pressure while remaining lightweight. Additionally, exposure to chemicals from sweat or lotion can weaken housing strength. Modern aesthetics demand compact, durable designs.

Covestro Thin-wall solutions meet these demands by using less material to achieve lightweight yet reliable performance in crack resistance and flame retardancy. Aging tests with cosmetics, such as sun cream, perfume, and face scream, demonstrate their strong chemical resistance, which ensures higher durability of devices.

Sustainable Solutions: Meeting Regulatory and Market Demands

Proper material selection and application can significantly extend the lifecycle of electronic devices, reducing plastic waste. While waste is inevitable, the end of a product’s life does not mean the end of its material. Covestro’s post-consumer recycled (PCR) PC, Makrolon® R series, uses advanced recipes and high-quality feedstocks to reintroduce PC waste into the next lifecycle. Recent advancements have achieved up to 90% recycled content with performance comparable to virgin materials, greatly reducing reliance on fossil-based resources. 

In addition to the R series, Covestro recently introduced a range of polycarbonates based on chemically recycled attributed material from post-consumer waste via mass balance: Makrolon® RP. The aim is to manufacture high-quality and durable products with chemically recycled attributed feedstocks. At the end of a long usage phase, the plastics can still achieve a "third product life" through mechanical recycling and the further development of chemical recycling technologies. 

Covestro also explores alternative materials from bio-waste and bio-residues: certified mass-balanced grades of the Makrolon® RE series. The RE series is now also available with 25 percent renewable attributed sustainable share. 

All three series belong to the Covestro CQ* family, a holistic portfolio of solutions that enables the electronic industry to move away from a linear approach and to materialize the Circular Economy.  

The demand for products with recycled raw materials is growing, driven by regulatory requirements and voluntary programs, such as the European End-of-Life Vehicle Directive under review (ELV) and the U.S. Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) for electronics. High-performance recycled and alternative materials support OEMs in meeting these regulations, enhancing sustainability efforts, and opening new business opportunities.

Aesthetics and Consumer Appeal

Aesthetics play a crucial role in consumer electronics, influencing purchasing decisions. Eye-catching designs and colors set trends in the market. Covestro’s high-flow and de-molding capabilities offer design flexibility for creative ideas. Moreover, colorability, color stability, along with rich surface options including glossy, brushed, matte, transparent, translucent finishes, ensure premium user experiences and perceptions. 

Interaction among all smart devices is a key factor for user experience, which highly depends on accurate signals. Covestro provides specific polycarbonate with outstanding signal transmittance, ensuring minimal signal attenuation. Meanwhile, visible lights are shielded, even in light color aligning with modern aesthetics needs.

Each year, Covestro launches a CMF (Color, Material, Finish) report, offering design insights based on market observations and customer collaboration. This guides OEMs and brand designers with design and material trends which enable winning consumer attention and gaining market opportunities.

High-performance polycarbonate is increasingly applied in across industries, driven by trends such as the circular economy, Internet of Things (ioT), AI empowerment, and future-oriented compliance. Covestro is committed to being a valued partner for industry players, driving toward a fully circular future with its extensive experience, knowledge, technical networks, and global expertise.