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DECARBONIZATION

Green Manufacturing Practices Help Promote End-to-End Supply Chain Sustainability

Overview

As one of the pioneers in the e-Mobility and Green Energy sectors, Interplex has been increasingly involved at the forefront of helping our customers design and deliver advanced solutions that are changing the world by mitigating the negative effects of climate change and reducing global dependence on fossil fuels.

However, it is also important to look behind the final products, such as electric vehicles, power distribution grids, etc., and to consider the end-to-end supply chain practices that produce these products. Wherever possible, suppliers and customers should work together to assure that sustainable Green Manufacturing practices are used to produce all new sustainability products for end-use markets.

This article describes some of the Green Manufacturing practices that are an integral part of Interplex’s overall commitment to Making Sustainability a Reality.

Taking a Holistic Approach

At Interplex, responsible manufacturing forms a major foundational element of our sustainability strategy. In our global manufacturing facilities worldwide, our priorities include reducing the environmental footprint of our manufacturing operations, minimizing materials usage, conserving natural resources, and nurturing a culture of safety. In addition to innovating new sustainable practices within our globally distributed network of manufacturing facilities, Interplex also requires all new direct materials suppliers to complete a supplier sustainability self-assessment before registration as an approved vendor.

The following sections discuss two key innovations in our overall Green Manufacturing program:
  • use of Green Lasers to make welding processes more sustainable; and
  • reusable flexible tooling and modular pin-header configurations to optimize resource efficiency.

Green Lasers Reduce CO2 Power Usage and Minimize Waste

Figure 1 – Green Laser with the Shortest Distance for Copper Processing at Singapore
Interplex is one of the pioneers to introduce Green Laser Beam Welding into our production facilities. Starting with the Asia region, Interplex partnered with Trumpf Laser Technology in Singapore1 to achieve a strong head start in this key sustainability practice.

Compared to traditional Nd:YAG laser wavelengths of 1030 to 1070 nanometers, the use of lasers at 515 nanometers wavelength is expected to reduce reflection from copper surfaces, thereby leading to more efficient absorption of energy, 7 times higher than IR fiber laser. This results in a significantly lower CO2 footprint and lower power usage per weld joint. At the same time, it has been reported that virtually no weld splatter is produced when using Green Laser Beam Welding, thus achieving a new level of sustainable copper laser welding.

For many industries that Interplex serves, such as Automotive & e-Mobility, Information & Communications Technology (ICT), Medical & Life Sciences, and General Industrial, the usage of copper, steel and other metal alloys represents a large percentage of the materials flow. Laser welding and cutting processes also constitute a significant portion of the production processes.
Figure 2 – Deploying Live Weld Seam Monitoring
Interplex’s leadership in proactively introducing Green Laser processes into our global manufacturing facilities can make a major difference in terms of reducing carbon emissions and waste products. With our Green Laser Beam Welding process, we strive to provide customers with faster manufacturing cycle times, better production yields and higher quality.

1 Interplex is not affiliated or associated with TRUMPF Pte Ltd and does not purport to endorse TRUMPF Pte Ltd in any way.

Reusable Tooling and Modular Pin-Headers

Interplex is a recognized leader and trusted partner for design, prototyping, and high-volume production of a wide range of configurable interconnects. Building on that track record, we continue to innovate to improve results for both our customers and the world at large.

A recent innovation in the production of our industry-leading family of pin-headers is a prime example of how we combine customer benefits with global sustainability.
Figure 3 – Reusable tooling for our High-Pin-Count Header in control unit applications
This innovation started with Interplex’s product team that supports automotive customers with Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and other complex automotive control units used in electric vehicles (EV).

Always looking for ways to improve lead-time and responsiveness, the team first noted that many of the application-specific pin-header configurations required by different customers had certain similarities in the underlying designs, which could offer opportunities for improving production efficiency.

The next step was to conduct a comprehensive analysis to identify specific common elements, including pin counts, spacing, length, materials, and associated housings and product specification. This analysis resulted in creating a modular standard manufacturing approach that leveraged more efficient production processes and adaptable tooling designs that could be reused across different projects.

Because of the wide usage of High-Pin-Count Headers in e-Mobility applications such as ADAS control units, safety control systems, body control subsystems, EV power controllers & converters, along with the high production volumes, Interplex’s move to reusable configurations and tooling is already making a major difference.

In addition to saving on resources, floor space, and energy consumption, the shift to reusability is also paying big dividends in faster manufacturing cycle times and lower costs for our customers.

Summary

Interplex’s commitment to sustainability is embedded in our corporate DNA.

Our global manufacturing facilities have implemented rigorous environmental management systems to manage risks, set targets, track performance, and improve continuously. As of the end of 2021, 91% of our manufacturing facilities achieved the ISO 14001:2015 certification for environmental management systems.

With a culture of constant innovation combined with a passion for corporate responsibility, rather than being satisfied with our existing achievements, the global Interplex team is constantly looking for new opportunities to push the envelope when it comes to sustainability.

The two innovations described in this article are important milestones in our historic and ongoing journey to extending our leadership in both Green Manufacturing and overall excellence in sustainability.

Resources for More Information:

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