Jiva Wins JEC Innovation Award at JEC Asia 2019
In a ceremony held on 14th November in Seoul, South Korea, Jiva Materials and Eco-Technilin claimed the JEC Asia Innovation Award in the Electrical, Electronics and Appliances category for their development of flax-based PCB substrate – Soluboard®.
Since January 2018, Jiva has been collaborating with Eco-Technilin and its R&D entity, Lineo, to reach a proof of concept that matched the properties of FR-4, the current standard material used within the PCB industry. Eco-Technilin’s expertise in the development and supply of bio-composite solutions, combined with their production line and prototyping/testing facilities, means Jiva has been able to define the manufacturing process for Soluboard® commercialisation.
The primary ingredient in the composite material is Eco-Technilin’s FlaxTape™. Consisting of unidirectional flax fibres with a lower density than alternative carbon and glass-based fibres, the orientation of the fibres within FlaxTape™ means they can be efficiently arranged to form the multilayer bio-composite structure of Soluboard®. The strong mechanical properties of FlaxTape™ means it is ideal for manufacturing lightweight products that are subject to significant stress.
The organic structure of Soluboard® means the non-toxic ingredients begin to delaminate when immersed into warm water. This allows the fibres within Eco-Technilin’s FlaxTape™ to be composted, the remaining solution to be disposed of using standard domestic waste water systems and the electronic components to be removed for re-processing.
The unique mechanical properties that Eco-Technilin’s FlaxTape™ attributes to Soluboard® means that PCBs made of the composite could be much more easily broken down and recycled, increasing yields of precious metal recovery and decreasing environmental damage in the process.
Following its takeover in February 2017 by the French Cap Seine group now known as NatUp, Eco-Technilin, based in Valliquerville, France, is poised to accelerate the adoption of natural fibre-based nonwoven composites by the automotive industry and other key sectors.
NatUp is a major agricultural cooperative dealing in plant-based products such as flax and hemp, grains seed, plant protection technology and fertilizers based in Mont-Saint-Aignan, France. As such, it is providing the financial backing for a new investment drive that will bring benefits to many of its members in the bast fibre supply chain.