Please note that JavaScript and style sheet are used in this website,
Due to unadaptability of the style sheet with the browser used in your computer, pages may not look as original.
Even in such a case, however, the contents can be used safely.
- NEC's R&D
- R & D Domains
- Global R & D
- Press Release
- Innovative Engine
- Speech Recognition
- Quality degradation analysis for large-scale networks
- Bioplastics for Electronic Equipment
- The beginnings of Environment-friendly plastics development -Environment-friendly petroleum-based flame-retardant plastics-
- From petroleum-based plastics to baiomass-based plastics (bioplastics)
- Tackling the development of biomass-based plastics -(Bioplastics) for electronic equipment-
- Commercialization and further development
- About Myself
- Quantum Computer
- Carbon Nanotube
- Awards
- Access
Bioplastics for Electronic Equipment
The beginnings of Environment-friendly plastics development -Environment-friendly petroleum-based flame-retardant plastics-
We began working on the development of environmentally friendly plastics about 10 years ago. At that time there was virtually no concept of using such materials for electronic products, so we started out as pioneers. We set out by trying to improve the environmental safety of petroleum-based flame-retardant plastics. For reasons of fire safety, plastics used for electronic equipment must be resistant to fire, i.e., flame-retardant. To make conventional plastics flame-resistant, substances with flame-retardant properties, such as halogen compounds were used as additives. However, when these halogen-type flame-retarding addditives are burned they generate substances that are highly damaging to the environment. Furthermore, the phosphorus compounds used as substitutes for the halogen-type flame-retarding addditives are feared to cause chronic toxicity. So the environmental safety of such additives was a serious concern.
Focusing on the problem, we took up the challenge of making flame-retardant plastics with greatly improved environmental safety, by developing advanced flame-retarding additives free of halogens and phosphorus.
Thus we developed a flame-retardant polycarbonate resin (EKOPORIKA:Japanese Trade Mark*1) that features an original silicone-type flame-retarding additive that forms a flame-resistant layer on the resin surface at the time of ignition, and we successfully used these for the first time ever in electronic equipment. (See Fig.1.) EKOPORIKA has been jointly commercialized with Sumitomo Dow Ltd., and currently it is used as the main casing material for NEC's eco-friendly product lines of personal computers. It is also now finding application in various other fields. In addition, we also developed a self-extinguishing epoxy resin compound that does not require any flame-retarding additive because the resin itself blisters and forms a thermally insulating foam layer when exposed to flames. (Self-extinguishing epoxy resin compound --> October 3, 2001 press release in Japanese) This self-extinguishing epoxy resin compound was commercialized in partnership with Sumitomo Bakelite Company Co.Ltd., as a molding material for IC packages, and in addition to NEC it has been adopted by many of the world's leading device makers.
Fig.1 Development of petroleum-based halogen-free, phosphorus-free flame-retardant plastics*1 EKOPORIKA : Press release / Produc introduction(Sumitomo Dow Ltd. website)
