CAMBRIDGE, UK – "Forever chemicals", or PFAS, are coming under increasing regulatory pressure globally as concerns over the negative effects of PFAS on human health and the environment are mounting. In their brand new report, "Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 2024: Emerging Applications, Alternatives, Regulations", IDTechEx dives deeply to explore the future trajectory of PFAS in five key emerging applications: thermal management for data centers, sustainable food packaging, electric vehicles, low-loss materials for 5G, and the hydrogen economy.
Introducing the "forever chemical" family – PFAS
PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and refers to synthetic chemical compounds that contain multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain. The broad definition of PFAS by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development encompasses nearly 5,000 unique chemicals, including PFOA, PFOS, and PTFE.
Unsurprisingly, the applications of different PFAS chemicals are nearly as broad as the chemical family itself. Depending on the specific chemical, PFAS are used in industries including semiconductor manufacturing, healthcare, non-stick cookware, and firefighting foams.
Why are concerns over PFAS rising?
Why are PFAS now coming under increased scrutiny? The colloquialism "forever chemicals" hints at a key issue for PFAS: its persistence in humans, wildlife, and the environment. Not only is PFAS persistent, but they can also be found even in isolated areas; thus, humans can be exposed to PFAS through a variety of sources. Now, scientific evidence is growing that, depending on different factors, continued exposure to specific PFAS may lead to negative health effects, such as increased risk of cancer, developmental delays, and hormonal issues (per the US EPA and the OECD).
A new regulatory landscape changing the trajectory of PFAS
With growing concerns over the impact of PFAS on human health and the environment, there are pushes for increased regulations on the use of certain groups of PFAS. Several important regions in the global economy are considering or adopting universal PFAS restrictions, including the European Union (which introduced its universal PFAS restriction proposal in 2023) and the US states of Maine and Minnesota. With such a complicated landscape of PFAS regulations potentially developing worldwide, it is essential for businesses to understand existing and proposed regulations for PFAS to understand its potential effect on them.
Alternatives for PFAS in emerging high-tech applications: a critical consideration
As such, with broad legislation potentially impacting PFAS in countless different applications, it is essential for businesses to consider potential alternatives for PFAS.
Heavy regulations on PFAS would be particularly impactful in emerging high-tech applications. In these less-established markets, PFAS can sometimes act as key technology enablers. PFAS could be used as membranes in fuel cells, as coolants for immersion cooling in data centers, as insulating materials in high-voltage cables, or as moisture-repelling coatings in molded fiber packaging. Therefore, identifying replacements for PFAS in those applications will be important for the future growth of those emerging areas.
For businesses manufacturing or using PFAS in high-tech fields, IDTechEx’s new report, "Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 2024: Emerging Applications, Alternatives, Regulations", not only identifies the specific impact of different PFAS regulations in key emerging application areas but also identifies potential alternatives for PFAS in these areas. Covering a broad range of growing yet critical future markets, the five main emerging technology areas analyzed by IDTechEx are:
Membranes in the hydrogen economy
Thermal management for data centers
Electric vehicles
Low-loss materials for 5G
Sustainable food packaging
There are many alternatives that could potentially replace PFAS in these emerging applications. These alternatives may be at different stages of technology readiness and market maturity, but by analyzing their status, suppliers, advantages, disadvantages, etc., a critical assessment of these non-PFAS alternatives' market potential can be developed. Some alternatives have the potential to substantially impact their application areas, while others have a much longer road to market penetration that includes solving major technical and economic challenges. Regardless, for anyone connected to emerging industries, the pressure is increasing to have a clear understanding of how future PFAS regulations may impact nascent high-tech industries but also what commercial and developing alternative materials are available to replace PFAS in these industries.
For more information on the new IDTechEx report "Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 2024: Emerging Applications, Alternatives, Regulations", including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/PFAS
WASHINGTON – IPC and Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA) released a joint statement on the FY 2024 Defense Budget.
"IPC and PCBAA were gratified to see that Congress settled on a favorable budget outcome for the Defense Production Act. As we encouraged in our February letter to Congressional Leadership, a robust level of funding is crucial to revitalizing the American PCB industry and the broader electronics ecosystem upon which U.S. military superiority rests. Additionally, this bill includes important guidance directing the Secretary of Defense to prioritize domestic production of printed circuit boards. Our coalition, representing hundreds of companies and tens of thousands of skilled American workers, will continue to push for healthy and uninterrupted funding for the DPA Procurement Account."
BARCELONA, SPAIN – DirectPCB, a printed circuit board supplier with offices in Largo, Florida and Shenzhen, China, has opened DirectPCB Europe in Barcelona, Spain.
Co-founders Greg Papandrew and Clement Yuen welcome Joan-Paul Udina as managing director of the new division.
Udina says he looks forward to using his experience in the electronics industry to support DirectPCB’s existing European customers and to onboard new ones.
“In these days of supplier consolidation,” Yuen points out, “it is best to offer customers more of a choice when it comes to getting quality PCBs at competitive pricing from Asia.”
And according to Papandrew, “Our business continues to grow and already includes customers that have operations in both the U.S. and Europe. It makes sense to offer local support and to expand our reach in Europe as well.”
DirectPCB supplies quality PCBs to numerous OEM and EMS companies worldwide. It also manages a wide range of assembly projects.
Visit directpcb.com to learn more. Or reach out to Udina at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
WASHINGTON – The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today released the following statement from SIA President and CEO John Neuffer commending semiconductor manufacturing incentives announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Intel Corporation. The incentives, which are part of the CHIPS and Science Act, will support four Intel manufacturing projects in Arizona, Ohio, Oregon, and New Mexico. The Commerce Department previously announced incentives for GlobalFoundries, Microchip Technology, and BAE Systems.
“The CHIPS and Science Act incentives announced today will create jobs, boost U.S. and local economies, and make America stronger, safer, and more technologically advanced. CHIPS was enacted to incentivize companies in the semiconductor ecosystem to build, grow, hire, and innovate in the U.S., and that’s exactly what they’re doing. We congratulate Intel for investing boldly in these projects and applaud the Commerce Department for working diligently to advance the CHIPS Act’s manufacturing incentives and R&D investments. SIA looks forward to continuing to work with leaders in Washington to ensure this historic initiative is implemented successfully and expeditiously, which will help strengthen U.S. chip production, innovation, and supply chain resilience well into the future.”
The CHIPS Act’s manufacturing incentives have already sparked substantial investments in the U.S. In fact, companies in the semiconductor ecosystem have announced dozens of new projects across 25 U.S. states—totaling more than $250 billion in private investments—since the CHIPS Act was introduced. These announced projects will create more than 45,000 jobs in the semiconductor ecosystem and support hundreds of thousands of additional U.S. jobs throughout the U.S. economy.
WATERBURY, CT – MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions, a leading manufacturer of chemical compounds utilized in surface finishing applications, announced the launch of their newly redesigned website, macdermidenthone.com. The new website reflects the organization's brand image and voice, aligning with the company's continuous commitment to partnership, innovation, and sustainability.
The new website provides a modern, secure, visually appealing, and streamlined user experience. The responsive site features MacDermid Enthone's comprehensive portfolio of products and wide breadth of industries served while giving users insight into the organization's culture, commitment to innovation, and future-focused sustainability goals.
"Embracing change that drives innovation is at the heart of who we are as an organization, and I am thrilled to see our new website reflect that commitment," says Tanya Cummings, Global Director of Marketing and Communications at MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions. "The new site is designed to deliver a streamlined and interactive user experience, inviting visitors to register for events, engage with value-added content, and easily connect with us for more information on our products, services, and solutions."
From the moment users arrive at macdermidenthone.com, they are immersed in the brand experience through a newly released brand video which serves as the hallmark of our business and lives in the marquee of the website's homepage. Visitors can navigate through the site using streamlined menus and simplified search - quickly finding the products and solutions they need.
"We are committed to delivering solutions that go far beyond chemistry," says Rich Lynch, Senior Global Vice President, MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions. "I am proud to say that our new website puts that ideal into practice, spotlighting our rich history, commitment to continuous innovation, and future-focused values."
WALTHAM, MA – Nano Dimension Ltd. (Nasdaq: NNDM) (“Nano Dimension” or the “Company”), a leading supplier of Additively Manufactured Electronics (“AME”) and multi-dimensional polymer, metal & ceramic Additive Manufacturing (“AM”) 3D printing solutions, today announced that a patent was granted for technology developed by its industrial artificial intelligence (“AI”) group, DeepCube, that enables better training and optimization of decentralized deep learning-based AI models.
The U.S. patent, formally titled System and method for mimicking a neural network without access to the original training dataset or the target model, (the “Neural Network Mimicking Patent”) addresses one of the core challenges of deploying AI models in the real-world, specifically continuously training models on new data when that data belongs to a customer. In the industry at-large, dealing with new customer data has often been a limitation due to sensitivity and confidentiality concerns that limit data shareability. The new patent addresses this challenge by ultimately training and improving the AI models on customers’ premises, without Nano Dimension having direct access to the new data or model.
This patent is another key component in Nano Dimension’s efforts to transform DeepCube from a solely in-house AI group to a leading industrial AI solution provider. Nano Dimension has already made progress in this initiative, having announced agreements and memorandums of understanding (“MOUs”) with several parties. DeepCube is currently developing an end-to-end AI platform for industrial usage that is not only limited to additive manufacturing. The software platform is intended to run autonomously on customers’ premises, and continuously improve itself, such that the more it is used, the higher the accuracy will become.
Importantly, the Neural Network Mimicking Patent is not just about software, but also hardware. The training infrastructure at the core of this innovation exclusively uses Nvidia graphics processing units (“GPUs”), while the deployed inference models are currently optimized for Nvidia GPUs, along with Intel and AMD central processing units (“CPUs”).
Nano Dimension’s DeepCube alone has 50 patent applications filed, of which 27 have already been granted. These patent applications are filed in 8 different jurisdictions, providing a truly global IP protection.
Yoav Stern, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors of Nano Dimension, stated: “Nano Dimension’s leadership in AI continues to make progress. In fact, this has been the case since we acquired DeepCube three years ago, but we are proud that these developments are becoming more public. Most importantly, these milestones are evident of how we are moving closer to having a full fledged commercialized industrial AI solution that will take the deep learning-based AI we have developed for proprietary use to the broader industrialized markets.”
