TPCA Releases Guide to Help PCB Industry Achieve Low-Carbon Transformation

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The introduction of EU carbon tariffs, international brands committing to carbon neutrality, and the upcoming carbon fee in Taiwan means that carbon reduction is no longer just a slogan. Domestic and international pressures have turned carbon reduction into the golden grail of corporate sustainability.

In line with this, the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) issued the “Guide to Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction for PCB Factory Facilities and Process Equipment” in May and will host the “PCB Advanced Low-Carbon Forum” in the TPCA Hall on June 6.

In addition to introducing the Guide, the Forum also invited leading PCB manufacturer Unimicron Technology Corp. to share its energy efficiency practices in factory services. The publication of the Guide embodies the transition from strategic planning to actual implementation of the net zero initiative in the PCB industry. It also aims to help Taiwan’s PCB industry maintain its leading position in the new global race to net zero and sustainability.

Meanwhile, a Sustainable Development Committee has been established by the TPCA to join the rest of the industry in responding to global net zero issues. The “Low-carbon Transformation Strategy for the Taiwanese PCB Industry,” published in March 2023, also proposed three key strategies for low-carbon transformation: Voluntary Energy Conservation, Renewable Energy, and Carbon Negative/Carbon Trading.

The goal is to achieve net zero emissions for the PCB industry by 2050. The most important of the three transformation strategies was green electricity procurement. This must be complemented by legal carbon credit portfolios and voluntary energy conservation if corporate carbon reduction targets are to be met.

Ten action plans were immediately launched by TPCA after the Low-carbon Transformation Strategy Report was published. Guided research was conducted into energy conservation and carbon reduction technologies based on voluntary carbon reduction by PCB factories for carbon emission hot spots in factory services and equipment.

TPCA began collaborating with the Mechanical and Mechatronics Systems Lab, and the Industry, Science and Technology International Strategy Center of Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to collate the low-carbon behaviors of representative businesses and target energy-intensive hot spots for future improvement.

For the factory services aspect, the main focus was on air conditioning/chillers, air compressors, dust collection, lighting, and boiler systems. For the process aspect, the main focus was on the electro-plating, etching, drilling, and lamination processes. To explore the principles and practices of energy conservation and carbon reduction, the energy-efficiency potential of each item, required investment cost, difficulty of implementation, impact on the production process, and impact on safety were all summarized using a matrix. All the key evaluation items during the introduction were then scored, and a general index was maintained for each site.

Enterprises cannot achieve net zero in one go. The Guide recommended implementing the process in three phases: Start, Middle, and End. The Start phase requires a full understanding of factory operations, including taking an inventory of each component’s efficiency (e.g., motor IE rating), digitizing data from large energy-intensive equipment, and transparency of production scheduling.

For the Middle phase, a task force can be set up to analyze the factory data. The nature of each low-carbon technique can be assessed using rough estimates of technical difficulty, process impact, engineering time, and energy efficiency yield.

During the End phase, the stability of the low-carbon improvement is assessed. Periodic review meetings can also be used to see if the quantitative targets previously set are aligned with the outcomes. If they do align, then assess the feasibility of rolling out the improvement to other facilities or factories. If they do not align, then carry out a review to see if there were any missteps or inaccurate predictions. Continuous improvements are then implemented through the PDCA cycle.

Common energy conservation and carbon reduction techniques for factory facilities and process equipment include:

1. Regular repair and maintenance of equipment and conduits: Aging equipment and conduits can lead to additional power consumption while machines are in operation. It may also increase the risk of higher repair costs and production delays.
2. Replacement with high-efficiency equipment or components: In addition to upgrading to more efficient equipment, the revitalization of old equipment through installation of more efficient motors, pumps, and rectifiers can all yield immediate improvements in energy efficiency.
3. Recycling: Hot water and steam from factory facilities can be recovered and supplied to process equipment that needs warm water. Chemical liquids in production processes can also be revitalized or recovered to reduce waste.
4. Use of low-carbon fuel: Boilers or transportation devices can be converted from oil to natural gas or electricity. Natural gas not only produces fewer CO2 emissions compared to fuel oil but also emits virtually no sulfur. Not having to store large amounts of heavy oil also increases safety.
5. Smart operations: Factory services can use group control to operate multiple machines in concert with balanced loads. Predictive maintenance can reduce equipment failure rates. Ultimately, advanced sensing technology and real-time data analysis will be used to implement automatic production adjustment for optimal yield and efficiency.

The Guide recommends that factories introduce the energy conservation and carbon reduction projects that best fit their situation (e.g., customer requirements, financial report, corporate culture, factory configuration, process characteristics, and so on). The outcomes will vary depending on the actual conditions as well, so do not try to shoehorn the solution. In addition to the self-assessment, discussions must be held with related vendors to determine practical solutions.

Net zero sustainable application technologies and international carbon credit platforms are still under development. Many challenges remain before businesses can hope to realize their net zero targets. In the future, TPCA will continue to work with government, academia, and research units to assist the PCB industry in connecting with the low-carbon opportunities and markets of a new era.