Plastronic : When electronics enhances plastics processing
Interview de Nicolas Jacquemin : "Plastronics helps our customers to do different and better".
Plastronics is an innovative technology that brings real added value to plastic parts. Plastronics brings functionalities provided by electronics to plastic parts (plastics or composites). The aim is not to replace printed circuits, but to bring a strong added value by taking advantage of the integration of electronics to lighten, integrate functions, miniaturize, increase performances or reliability... It is a set of processes, each with its own specificities. Among the most widely used are Laser Direct Structuring (LDS), bi-injection, and In-Mold Electronica.
These technologies create Smart Plastic Products, which can be found in many sectors. Several processes are now mature, but there are still challenges to be met. In order to develop today, Plastronics must meet three challenges :
- Design methodologies and software;
- Recycling of parts at the end of their life;
- The definition of international standards
Nicolas Jacquemin, General Manager of DEMGY de Normandie, explains why and how we got involved in Plastronics and now master several technologies.
DEMGY Group, one of the largest plastics groups, is constantly setting goals to develop ever lighter, smarter and greener parts.
"We develop solutions for our customers to make their products lighter, whether in the automotive, aerospace, industrial, medical or other sectors[...]The Normandy site works more specifically on additive manufacturing, thermoforming of high-performance materials and metallization of plastics. And as a result it is also interested in Plastronics."
DEMGY's added value lies in its perfect mastery of all plastics. "By combining all our know-how in the MultiPlasturgy concept, we can offer our customers the best technical and economic compromise in relation to their objective. Thus, parts that the customer could have imagined as 100% injection, we can, depending on the needs and quantities, choose machining, additive manufacturing, or thermoforming instead." The plastics used by DEMGY Group often replace metallic solutions to lighten systems. The need for lightening is common to many industrial sectors, notably aeronautics, thanks to metal/plastic substitution, and this is what led DEMGY to enter the field of Plastronics. Today, we master multiple technologies of Plastronics in order to meet different needs according to the dimensions of the parts and the volumes to be manufactured.
Today, potentially everything that conducts low current is eligible for Plastronics. Plastronics is a strong demand from manufacturers, since it contributes to the lightening and simplification of assembly. But many developments are underway to go further. DEMGY continues to innovate in order to fully meet the needs of its customers.Our objective is to make lighter, smarter and greener in order to satisfy all your demands.
Discover below the article with the whole interview of Nicolas Jacquemin.
Source : CAD magazine n°229