Why smart city sensors need water protection AND flexible design
Smart cities are fast taking shape, driven by advanced, high-capacity mobile connectivity and networks of thousands of sensors. This will be a huge market. According to a recent report from MarketsandMarkets, The Internet of Things (IoT) in smart cities market is projected to grow from US$ 79.5 billion in 2018 to US$ 219.6 billion by 2023. It is a sector fuelled by innovative applications.
Yet as McKinsey said in its 2018 report: “’Smartness’ is not just about installing digital interfaces in traditional infrastructure or streamlining city operations. It is also about using technology and data purposefully to make better decisions and deliver a better quality of life.”
Aesthetics are critical, as is the ability to match products to their location. How things look is important in infrastructure and street furniture design. This includes everything reliant on sensor-technology, from dynamic, sensor-guided traffic and streetlights, to public transport monitors and displays, telecoms cabinets, fire and flood-detection.
Most cities have had multiple designers. One district or suburb does not want to look like every other, because each has its own character, of which its inhabitants are often protective.
Yet, with tens if not hundreds of designs of the same product necessary, the need for individual designs could quickly increase manufacturing costs. The solution is for electrical components that include sensors to be designed so they can be mass-produced and reused across multiple designs, while also reducing their housing costs. Miniaturisation is playing an important role here in helping save space, reduce costs and allow greater design flexibility.
The necessity to protect sensors from the elements, however, could be a limiting factor for manufacturers seeking production diversity. Sensors need protection from water ingress, otherwise the smart city will malfunction whenever there is heavy rain, burst pipes or flooding.
But in reducing sensor-housing costs, greater care must be taken to provide water-protection directly to the components as opposed to relying on the housing to act as a barrier. Mechanical solutions can be used to help the housing provide water-protection, but these will increase production costs.
Conventional methods of water-protection such as conformal coatings will not allow for miniaturisation necessary within sensor housing. The more densely packed the printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs), the less space for physical seals. More PCBAs mean more connectors for communication. As these cannot be protected by traditional conformal coatings, they are often very vulnerable, or need mechanical seals built into the connectors themselves.
Nano-coatings by contrast, provide protection directly to the electronic components, making them more durable. These coatings are ultra-thin; can protect every part of the PCBA, and do not crack and delaminate with age as conformal coatings do.
Without nano-coatings, there is a danger that the importance of water protection will lead manufacturers to produce, highly-standardised, designs. The mission to make the street scenes of smart cities attractive and distinctive will fail. By contrast, manufacturers adopting advanced water protection technology such as nano-coatings will have the ability to produce more individualised street infrastructure designs that meet the aspirations of their customers – the public authorities and infrastructure companies.
We can already see that the Internet of Things and miniaturisation are making the smart city dream a reality. Yet for that dream to be realised, suppliers that support and simplify the implementation of design freedom are essential. It is key, therefore, that manufacturers are not hindered by outdated weather protection technology. Moving forwards, this will be essential if the vision of the smart city is to become a reality.
The worldwide demand for smart home devices is one of the few growth trends to be positively affected by COVID-19. Despite the pandemic’s economic impact, global shipments of smart home voice control devices are forecast to increase by 30% in 2020, according to ABI research. Worldwide shipments were forecast to be more than 1.39 billion in 2023 with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4%.
Previously unheralded benefits of smart home technology have risen to the forefront in this environment due to consumers’ rising concerns over health and safety. Devices such as smart locks and video doorbells enable users to ensure deliveries are securely received with no face-to-face interaction required. Other commonly touched areas including light switches and television controllers can be avoided using voice control.
This increased usage comes with its own challenges as home smart devices are often and increasingly being used outdoors or in bathrooms and kitchens, and can be susceptible to water damage and corrosion which can reduce their operational life. There are many ways in which electrical devices can be damaged by water and moisture in the home environment – for example, drink spillages can damage television remotes and humidity and steam from kitchens or bathrooms can affect smart thermostats. Curtain rails or smart blinds can be vulnerable to rain splashing through an open window or even condensation.
The smart devices that are finding a space in more and more of our homes are at risk from water damage, ranging from bathroom humidity to weather-related corrosion. For manufacturers to avoid the potential impact on their brand reputation and likely loss of future revenue incurred, as well as the financial cost of replacing a damaged device, utilizing some form of water protection is therefore going to be essential as a key building block of the smart home of today and of the future.
But the pandemic has also highlighted an increased need for protection against another type of liquid damage: The damage caused by consumers using cleaning products to disinfect their smart home devices. Google trends usually show a peak every year in people ‘googling’ how to clean their consumer devices in the week after Christmas, with the expectation being that now they have received a new electronic device as a gift, they want to clean their old one in order to sell it on. This year though, we have seen just such a spike in searches during the pandemic itself. Manufacturers are even issuing guides on how to clean these devices safely without damaging them. Most such guides highlight the obvious points around don’t get your device wet, avoid moisture; don’t spray chemicals, don’t use wet wipes, etc.
As a result, manufacturers are becoming more interested in devices that protect against both environmental damage from rain, humidity and moisture, as well as cleaning agents such as Isopropyl alcohol (IPA).
Traditional water protection methods are often unwieldy or unreliable. They come with many kinds of problems, such as inhibiting electrical conductivity, being prone to cracking, delaminating and degrading. In contrast, the latest nano coatings are far more flexible and reliable and are ideal for providing effective water protection to smart home devices. Different levels of protection can be covered, all the way from splashes and spills to full immersion. Here, the latest nano coatings offer robust protection to internal electronics against corrosion or damage from cleaning agents such as IPA.
Smart technology providers are able to support the creation of the ‘smart home vision’ by using these solutions to minimise the need for costly repairs and lessen their maintenance call-out requirements. By greatly improving the lifetime of the sensors used in a wide spectrum of smart technology applications, they can effectively increase the longevity of many smart home devices.
Solutions will need to offer protection against a wide variety of water-related risks in order protect against damage to electronic devices. By being able to protect any form, any shape, any design of electronic device the top solutions will add extra flexibility and also a wide range of materials used, well beyond a basic plastic box. In doing so they will support the vision of the future smart home not only from a functional perspective, but an aesthetic one too.
To find out more information on how we can help you meet your smart home device manufacturing waterproofing requirements please contact us.
As public places including non-essential shops begin to re-open globally, a technological revolution has quietly taken over the traditional marketplace. Enabled by rapid advances in wireless data and spurred on by a move away from cash payments by consumers, Point of Sale (POS) technology has emerged as a major global industry. With this sector forecasted to be worth over $125B annually by 2027, we can expect manufacturers in this field to continue to expand and innovate.
The fastest growing segment in this market is expected to be the handsets and terminals used by superstores, restaurants and sole traders alike. These mobile terminals have a host of benefits over older, bulkier form factors, offering users portability, flexibility and the option to process payments anywhere there’s mobile data.
But this flexibility also comes with an increased vulnerability to wear and tear and environmental damage. If these systems are exposed to humid environments or wet conditions, there is a significant risk of failure of the device.
The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought some of these challenges to the forefront. Not only is there a greater demand for payments to be taken outside, but devices now need to be regularly cleaned and disinfected after handling, increasing the chance of liquid ingress and damage to electronics.
The failure of POS devices from these kinds of liquid damage is expensive. A failed POS terminal can incur costs to the manufacturer/service provider several times over:
- Since POS systems are often sold as part of a comprehensive service where providers take a small cut of all transactions, they begin losing revenue as soon as a device fails.
- Providers may sell their devices and services with a guarantee that faulty terminals will be repaired or replaced. As well as the obvious repair or replacement costs, there are also administrative and handling costs for the return of the faulty device.
- Customers frustrated with unreliable hardware are likely to switch to service providers they feel are more dependable, costing companies revenue and damaging brand reputation.
These pain points for the provider are felt all across the POS customer base, regardless of scale. Customers with large numbers of POS terminals that see a high failure rate in its payment devices will quickly move on to a POS service provider they view as more reliable, costing the original provider a substantial loss in revenue. And although the loss of revenue from the churn of a dissatisfied sole trader will be less impactful for the POS provider, in an era where brand reputations can be destroyed in a single tweet, the reputational damage caused by an unreliable device should not be underestimated.
This is why we are using our P2i technology to protect POS terminals. Our plasma nano-coating technology bonds a microscopically thin polymer layer directly to the entire surface of electronic components, protecting them from liquid and corrosion damage. Unlike other water protection methods, such as crack-prone conformal coatings or mechanical seals and gaskets, nano-coatings don’t add weight or bulk to the POS terminal, provide continual protection to a treated device’s electronic components for the lifetime of the product, and the protection isn’t compromised when the outer body of a POS terminal is knocked or damaged. Moreover, P2i’s solution is also proven to show no deterioration in levels of protection following rigorous testing with isopropanol; also known as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), commonly used as an antiseptic or disinfectant; meaning manufacturers and customers can be confident that they can properly clean their POS terminals without risk of damaging the device.
With COVID-19 transforming retail and accelerating adoption of new technology, P2i is working with manufacturers to ensure their hardware is reliable and ready to meet the challenges of a new era of payment technology.
The automotive printed circuit board (PCB) market is already expanding rapidly, thanks largely to reduced hardware costs, but over time we are likely to see more electronics being fitted into both new and second-hand vehicles, which will drive further growth. Consequently, the global automotive PCB market is expected to reach more than $14 billion during 2018-2024 according to a new report available from ResearchAndMarkets.com.
We also anticipate this market will continuing to expand in the future. Features like rear-facing cameras and automated parking are becoming standard. Markets for applications from vehicle lighting and safety to powertrain components and interiors are all maturing – and the growth this brings will drive further expansion in automotive PCBs.
Consumer expectations of the reliability and safety of these components are increasing too. In part, this is driven by manufacturers looking to differentiate around the reliability and safety of vehicles. The arrival of autonomous vehicles on our streets will serve to raise the reliability and safety stakes and the need for more reliable PCBs – even further.
We are already seeing stringent standards in place governing automotive PCBs: from IPC-6011 which defines the generic performance specifications for PCBs to AEC Q100, which delivers failure test qualifications for integrated circuits. Moreover, product recalls in the automotive industry are expensive, which further pushes the need to ensure PCB vendors deliver maximum performance and reliability. Additionally, the need to protect the PCB rises with the number on each car.
Modern vehicles are designed with increasing numbers of electronic components which are vital to their day-to-day function. As more electronic components become integral to vehicles, there is a growing requirement to improve the reliability of component: effectively to match the dependability of more traditional, less electronics-dependent vehicles, which have fewer points of failure, by protecting the PCBs from damage. In pursuing this aim, manufacturers put an ever-higher premium on the integrity and lifespan of PCBs.
All this is enough to make the need to protect boards an imperative for any automotive manufacturer. Yet, the trend to miniaturisation of components makes achieving this protection ever more challenging. It is, therefore, becoming increasingly important that manufacturers integrate the latest water protection methods to protect these components and help ensure longevity.
Unfortunately, there are weaknesses with current water protection methods. The most commonly used are conformal coatings, which struggle to protect the entire PCB. Connectors cannot be protected as the coating is too hard and thick. Spray coatings, brush coatings and CVD (chemical vapour deposition) coatings also age poorly, cracking and delaminating over time. Gaskets and sealed enclosures are commonplace modes of protection. However, they tend to deteriorate through vibration and natural aging.
These traditional approaches to water protection also struggle to manage miniaturised boards. This is a big problem given the trends we see today. More components and functions being added into cars inevitably leads to a reduction in the space available for each circuit board, and therefore also to a focus on miniaturisation. This often makes protecting the boards more difficult. Moreover, the more densely packed the PCBs inside a console or engine, the less space there is for physical seals.
Finally, more PCBs mean more connectors for communication. As these cannot be protected by traditional conformal coatings, they are often poorly protected, or need mechanical seals built into the connectors themselves.
Finding a Way Forward
Today we see nano coatings emerging as the ideal solution to these challenges. Typically, they are ultra-thin. By applying them, instead of thicker coatings, manufacturers avoid the problem of underfill behind the board. They can protect every part of the PCB including connectors and they do not crack and delaminate with age. The coating is chemically bonded to the surface of the PCB, meaning that it becomes part of the product and will last for the board’s lifetime.
From the miniaturisation perspective, nano coatings don’t have the same challenges with space limitations that traditional sealants have. Today, the use of nano coatings is growing as an effective way to protect PCBs. Given the increasing integration of electronics with vehicles and continuing technical innovation in the field of nano coatings, we can expect the use of nano coatings in the automotive industry to continue to increase.
To find out more information on how we can help you meet your automotive manufacturing waterproofing requirements please contact us directly.
The ongoing growth of the drone market looks set to continue, with 7.5 million drones projected to be taking to the skies in Europe by 2030. Gartner analysis shows huge global uptake in construction, emergency services, insurance and logistics. For drone deliveries to be commercially viable, however, flight time and range needs to be maximised and downtime for recharge and repair reduced.
Reliability requirements for large fleets of wide-ranging urban delivery drones are stringent, as they will be constantly exposed to changing weather patterns. Governments will regulate forcefully to ensure manufacturers and operators of delivery drones can guarantee fleets are safe and reliable.
With drones now poised to be rolled out at scale for frequent, long-term autonomous operation, electronic components emerge as a likely point of failure. Ambient humidity, rain, salt fog and other atmospheric contaminants pose a high risk of electrical shorting and corrosion.
The form factor of the now-ubiquitous rotor drones makes comprehensive waterproofing challenging. Internal seals or external “wetsuit” style waterproofing adds weight to devices and limits maximum range, flight speed and payload. Thick conformal coatings painted or sprayed directly onto circuit boards and components keep water out but can’t be used on connectors, because they inhibit electrical conductivity, and are prone to cracking and delaminating.
This is where plasma nano-coating technology is the perfect solution. Already widely used in consumer electronics, the technology uses plasma to bond an invisibly thin, ultra-light layer of polymer to the surface of the electrical components. Nano-coatings allow for full reworkability and repair of drones, but unlike other water protection methods, provide continual protection to a treated device’s electronic components for the product lifetime. And in contrast to mechanical solutions, the protection isn’t compromised when the outer body of a drone is knocked or damaged. The microscopically thin coatings also add up to huge weight savings, with a nano-coating protection on a mid-sized drone weighing as little as half a gram, compared to 170 grams or more for a “wetsuit” or similar barrier.
In fact, some commonly used waterproofing methods can add to the weight of a drone by as much as 12%. Research has shown that the weight of a drone correlates with expected battery life, with performance declining almost in direct proportion to increasing weight. A best-case improvement of 12% battery life per charge for a single drone is already impressive, but when scaled up across a global fleet the savings become staggering. With multinational retailers and logistics companies already investing heavily in drone technology to secure dominance over a rapidly emerging market, the rewards of utilising high-tech solutions like nano-coatings are too big to ignore.
That’s where we feel we fit into the picture at P2i, thereby helping increase the range, battery life and maneuverability of the product.
The ongoing roll-out of this technology is another reminder that as advances in battery technology and AI bring the dream of a global society revolutionised by drones to reality, manufacturers shouldn’t ignore the massive potential of nanotechnology to help drones transition from niche curiosity, to indispensable part of the global economy.
To find out more information on how we can help you achieve your drones‘ waterproofing requirements please contact us directly.
In an increasingly environmentally conscious world, manufacturers are the pioneers of eco-friendliness. Making operations more sustainable is essential to corporate social responsibility models, not to mention success. With nearly half of UK consumers more likely to buy from competitors with a wider range of eco-friendly delivery options, manufacturing sustainability needs to be taken seriously if shoppers are going to stay loyal.
As well as keeping brand loyalty alive, the introduction of new environmental standards such as the IEC 61249-2-21 has put increasing pressure on manufacturers to moderate their chemical usage, employ halogen-free manufacturing processes and use deionized water. And with global e-waste expected to reach round 7 kilograms per capita by 2022, manufacturers need to cut down their contributions by ensuring that product components and new technological solutions across the supply chain are completely reworkable and easy to repair.
Though these terms are often used interchangeably, reworkability and repairability are not the same. Reworkability refers to the process of replacing faulty or damaged components on printed circuit boards at the manufacturing site, usually before they leave the production environment. Repairability is used in a post-sale context, where components are fixed outside of the production environment. And for manufacturing success, it’s essential that products are both easily reworkable and easily repairable.
The sustainability challenge
When it comes to electronics, scrapping and throwing away is no longer a solution. For true manufacturing sustainability, reworking and re-soldering components is the future of device longevity. As such, “right to repair” legislation concerning the reduction of wastage and product life extension is set to change the landscape of electronical usage when introduced by the EU commission in 2021: making spare parts easily accessible and compelling manufacturers to provide any software or manuals needed to complete repairs. Without the threat of voided warranties or the obligation for manufacturers to undertake after-sale repair work, customers can make cost-effective repairs at home – increasing the length of product usability and putting sustainability at the heart of manufacturing.
Of course, the easier a device is to take apart, the easier it is to fix. Recent design trends have often made electronics difficult to open without compromising water resistance or structural integrity. This is due to rigid gaskets and seals, thick conformal coatings or glues. Though these features help to waterproof devices, they can be susceptible to mechanical damage or make repairability impossible by covering connectors.
As repairability becomes more important, these mechanical solutions become increasingly unfit for purpose. Even if it’s technically possible to repair a device with these features, it’s unlikely to be cost effective and the device will likely end up as e-waste. Despite consumer preferences and legislations, reworkability is increasingly becoming part of the manufacturing process in its own right – helping reduce waste, boost sustainability, save manufacturers money on materials and scrappage costs, and achieve better profitability across product lines.
The benefits of nano coating technology
Offering highly water-resistant products on a cost-effective basis is the only way to meet the demands of the changing manufacturing landscape, and the answer to this challenge is nano coating technology. Protecting PCBs and even whole devices from the inside out, nano coating technology eliminates the need for bulky mechanical seals – making devices easier to open and repair, and keeping circuit boards accessible and fully re-workable. With this technology, manufacturers can stay competitive in a market that calls for increasing levels of sustainability – boosting product life length, reducing production costs and prioritising environmental concerns.
There seems to be no stopping Xiaomi. Chinese tech major Xiaomi, which holds the largest smartphone market share in India, launched two new products in April 2019 to its ever-expanding line-up, the Redmi 7 and Redmi Y3, both with P2i Splash-proof protection. India is still the most lucrative market for almost every smartphone OEM, considering the US and Chinese markets have either saturated or started showing signs of saturation, but Xiaomi is on an expansion spree and looking to add a further 10,000 retail stores and target 50% of business from offline sales by the end of 2019. On top of this Xiaomi is looking to accelerate its international market expansion outside of India and China and will focus on emerging markets such as Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.
As part of P2i’s co-brand partner strategy, we were proud to be working closely with Xiaomi for the Redmi 7 and Redmi Y3 launch and drive forward the key benefits of Splash-proof technology among Xiaomi consumers. Through various initiatives including their keynote speeches, social media, website, and national media coverage, all gave a mention to P2i’s technology and achieved excellent brand exposure as a result.
In March, this year too, Simon Vogt P2i’s President of Sales was invited by Mr Manu Jain, Vice President, and Mr Anuj Sharma, Chief Marketing Officer from Xiaomi to attend the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 PRO launch event at the New Delhi stadium. Simon Vogt said, “I was so impressed with the sheer scale of the event and the eager anticipation of the thousands of Mi fans, journalists and partners for the next generation higher specification phones. They were able to experience first-hand P2i’s Splash-proof technology through live demonstrations at Xiaomi’s dedicated experience stations; and the whole event was broadcast live across social media, it generated huge excitement!
The Redmi series from Xiaomi has had tremendous success in India ever since its introduction back in 2014. The reason for this is the value they offer and relatively low price which is proving very popular with the masses in India. Xiaomi already has a strong grip over the Rs 10,000 and under Rs 15,000 smartphone market with its Redmi Note line-up but is now looking to offer great value-for-money with the Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 PRO with higher specifications. We shouldn’t forget too, the Poco F1 which is part of their multi-brand strategy being offered to overseas markets, seeking to appeal to early tech adopters through attractive price points.
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