Global environmental legislation is causing a total rethink of product design and manufacturing processes in a range of industrial sectors, including electronics, consumer products and automotive.

TWI with its extensive knowledge of materials, assembly technology and environmental conditions/requirements has found itself ideally placed to assist companies in assessing the impact of environmental legislation on current product lines and the design of the next generation of products. It is also in the process of developing joining and disassembly techniques:

Examples of TWI's activities in this area:

  • Environmental Audits (products/processes)
  • Thermal methods for polymer assembly and disassembly
  • Lead free solder for circuit boards
  • Biodegradable circuit boards
  • Recycling of electronics/biomass into energy
  • Ionic liquids for disassembly
  • Product life-cycle assessments

Copyright © 2008 TWI Ltd
Information and advice from TWI and its partners are provided in good faith and based, where appropriate, on the best engineering knowledge available at the time and incorporated into TWI's website in accordance with TWI's ISO 9001:2000 accredited status. No warranty expressed or implied is given regarding the results or effects of applying information or advice obtained from the website, nor is any responsibility accepted for any consequential loss or damage.