SPRINKLE STYLE DESIGN - INNOVATIVE APPLICATION OF PCR MATERIAL ON LAPTOP SHELL

Consumer electronics products, including mobile phones, laptops, etc., are not only one of the main sources of plastic waste, but also an important application area for plastic waste recycling and reuse. In recent years, consumer electronics terminal brands have continuously carried out green product design, actively introducing recycled materials such as PCR and OBP into product design.
Taking laptops as an example, Lenovo promises to have 100% recycled plastic in all computer products by 2025; Acer continues to implement its goal of using 20% to 30% of post consumer recycled materials in personal computers and display products by 2025; Asus promises to achieve 100% recyclable material manufacturing by 2035;HP's products have used 1315 tons of marine biodegradable plastics since 2016, with a product and packaging recycling rate of 41%
In the process of innovative application of a large number of PCR materials, there are also issues such as unstable performance of different batches of PCR materials, appearance design and durability of products containing PCR materials. According to supply chain personnel, currently there are significant differences in batch stability control among different suppliers. In addition, as PCR is a recycled material, color or foreign matter mixing is basically unavoidable. If the appearance of the laptop adopts a spray free design, color and foreign matter will be very prominent, and the appearance design will be affected.

So, how can PCR materials achieve excellent appearance design without spraying? Today we will take a look at an innovative application example - Acer's Future Hummingbird lightweight and environmentally friendly laptop.
Acer's Future Hummingbird lightweight and environmentally friendly laptop uses 30% PCR environmentally friendly material for the body, 50% PCR environmentally friendly material for the keyboard, OBP marine environmentally friendly material for the touchpad, and no spray coating process for the body. Due to its use of environmentally friendly materials, each laptop reduces carbon emissions by approximately 21%.

According to official information from material supplier Teijin, Acer has officially launched environmentally friendly personal computers with PCR (post consumer recycled material) plastic added to the casing since 2019. In order to reduce VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions, Acer is considering upgrading the casing to spray free. However, the use of PCR plastic may result in noticeable discoloration and foreign objects, making it difficult to meet the appearance design requirements without spraying.
Therefore, in order to achieve environmental protection while enhancing its appearance, Acer, after multiple communications with Teijin, accepted Teijin's proposal to incorporate a small amount of foreign objects mixed in during recycling into the design of the "sprinkle style design" as a means of regeneration and material recycling.
Sprinkle style design is a new way of expressing appearance, which can meet customers' appearance design needs and help enhance their environmentally friendly corporate image by using polycarbonate resin with added PCR (with different specifications and amounts ranging from 30% to 40%).