Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Circuit board Component Recovery for Electronic Waste Reduction
EPA Contract Number: EPD17016Title: Circuit board Component Recovery for Electronic Waste Reduction
Investigators: Tietjen, Byron W
Small Business: Advanced Recovery and Recycling LLC
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: II
Project Period: March 1, 2017 through February 28, 2019
Project Amount: $299,872
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase II (2016) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , SBIR - Air and Climate
Description:
The objective of this SBIR II was to develop a production version of the D2000 Depopulator designed during Phase I. The depopulator is an innovative patented approach to the rapid removal of electronic parts from printed circuit boards without the use of chemicals. It has already generated some interest both domestically and internationally. As a result of this study, the Depopulator is complete, fully operational, and ready for demonstration and sale.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The project proceeded according to plan. The effort was divided into the categories shown pictorially in Fig. 1 to help illustrate the relationship between them. Many tasks were executed simultaneously, while others fed into other tasks in series. This was all based on the resulting design developed in Phase I. Each of these tasks is discussed in some detail below:
System Fabrication and Testing:
Upon start of Phase II, a local company, Roboshop, was secured as the fabricator for the production Depopulator. Roboshop are experts in conveyor systems, which is a key aspect of the depopulator. They also provide a place to display and demonstrate the final product. This was a big advantage during the design, fabrication, and test of the depopulator.
The design of the Depopulator, which was developed in Phase I, was reviewed with Roboshop. Several upgrades were made prior to the start of fabrication. Many of the ideas came from Roboshop with ARR approval.
Fabrication of the depopulator was begun after acceptance of design changes. Testing of the depopulator was conducted in stages as the various components were fabricated. Full system production testing was conducted once the fabrication was complete. During the initial phase of system testing, several shortcomings were uncovered. Design changes were made to address these, and they were cleared up. Once these changes were made, the system underwent final testing, and the system worked as expected and is now ready for demonstration and sale.
Fig 1 : Phase II Task Category Pictorial Summary
E-Scrap Trade Show Attendance and Advertisement:
The E-Scrap Trade Show was attended in September of 2017. From this, ARR was contacted by several interested parties. In addition, two advertisements were designed and submitted to the E-Scrap News journal in 9/2017 and 12/2018. Several more contacts have been received based on these ads and are currently being pursued.
Cost-Throughput Spreadsheet:
A key development during Phase II was the creation of a spreadsheet which a potential customer can use to determine the operational costs and throughput capabilities of the D2000, and determine what the benefit would be to their particular business model. ARR�s experience in talking with those in the E-Waste business is that there are many business models, including some that were proprietary and would not be disclosed to us. In that light, it was decided to simply supply the user with the operating costs and processing throughput of the depopulator. This materially simplified the approach to the value added of the Depopulator. The spreadsheet is available on the ARR website.
Demonstration Video Development:
A demonstration video was developed which highlighted the key operational characteristics of the Depopulator. This is included on the website and shows the D2000 in operation, and gives a potential user the concept of the system.
Website Development:
A website was developed by Velocity Media Group, Inc which summarized the background and capabilities of the depopulator. It also includes the cost-throughput spreadsheet and demonstration video mentioned above. The website is: D2000 Circuit Board Depopulator
Establish Potential Customer Contacts/Commercialization:
As a result of the E-Scrap Trade Show, and the two E-Scrap News advertisements, ARR has collected and stayed in contact with several potential customers. From both domestic and international locations, they are interested in visiting to see the Depopulator in action. ARR is currently working to set up such demonstrations. One potential customer is already planning to visit next month. ARR will be working with these for the foreseeable future.
Potential Design Upgrades:
Based on information obtained from the established contacts, a higher throughput would be desirable as well as the capability to process small circuit boards such as those of cell phones. ARR is currently working both of these issues without having to increase the current footprint of the 2-stage D2000. This will involve increasing the heater capacity. Accommodating smaller boards can already be handled by simply adding more support struts to the D2000 conveyor. The ability to do this was built into the design from the outset.
Summary of Findings:
Currently the completed depopulator is ready for demonstration and sale at the Roboshop second floor facility, as shown in Fig. 2:
Fig 2 : ARR D2000 Ready for Demo and Sale on 2nd Floor of Roboshop Facility
It meets the specifications of processing 1 ton of printed circuit boards in a single 8-hour shift with a 2-stage design. It is the intent of design upgrades to increase this rate up to 2 tons per shift while maintaining the 2-stage design so as not to increase the D2000 footprint.
Several interested parties obtained from the E-Scrap Trade Show and two E-Scrap News advertisements have expressed a desire to visit Syracuse, NY for a demonstration of the depopulator. This will be another step in the commercialization of the Depopulator, the first step being the fabrication of a fully functional system.
As another part of the commercialization plan, the website is fully functional and should prove valuable to potential customers. The ARR website, in fact, has already garnered other parties interested in the depopulator. ARR has also created a position of a Director of Sales and Marketing to actively seek out potential customers for the depopulator. This has resulted in one such party scheduling a visit to witness a demonstration of the D2000 sometime next month. This effort will continue well beyond the completion of the Phase II contract period.
Conclusions:
The goal of this project has been achieved. The production depopulator operates as intended, meets all requirements developed in Phase I, and is ready for demonstration and sale. The design comes complete with mechanical drawings and parts lists, and is programmable to flexibly accommodate the specific needs of the user.
Commercialization:
Fabricating and testing of the D2000 depopulator was the first major step in the commercialization plan to bring it to market. In order to reach out to potential customers, a website was developed and advertisements in E-Scrap News were published. Part of the website is a demonstration video and a spreadsheet which enable interested parties determine the value of the Depopulator to their particular needs. It will be this spreadsheet that will determine for a particular user, the actual value of the Depopulator to their process. The ARR Director of Sales and Marketing has been actively seeking out potential customers and will continue to do so. ARR will continue to work with all of these potential customers to set up demonstrations of the D2000. Subsequent sales of the system should follow.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this projectRelevant Websites:
D2000 Circuit Board Depopulator Exit
SBIR Phase I:
Circuit Board Component Recovery for Electronic Waste Reduction | Final ReportThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.