Ronald Maandonks | Signify: Is a lack of quantitative LCA data the ultimate commercial showstopper for printed electronics?

Can IoT-enabled LED drivers predict their own remaining useful life in a circular economy?

To transition from linear manufacturing to a circular model, Signify is restructuring its product designs around four distinct loops: service and upgrades, refurbishment, parts harvesting, and material recycling. Successfully executing these loops requires a fundamental shift in product architecture. It is no longer just about mechanical disassembly; engineers must evaluate the electrical integrity and wear of active components when a luminaire is returned.

A key example is the LED driver, where Signify utilizes built-in telemetry to log cumulative operating hours and monitor performance metrics during its operational life. By calculating the driver's remaining useful life prior to recovery, engineers can confidently decide whether to reintegrate the driver into a new luminaire or route it for parts harvesting.

This level of active component tracking requires deep coordination between hardware design, embedded sensing, and backend data processing. Implementing these diagnostic loops ensures that circularity does not compromise luminaire lifetime, system reliability, or consumer safety.

In this short video, you can learn:
* The 4-loop circular economy framework designed to keep luminaire components out of landfills.
* How active telemetry and connectivity enable real-time tracking of LED driver degradation.
* The architectural design shifts required to support non-destructive parts harvesting and component reuse.
📋 **Clip Abstract** This clip explains how transitioning to a circular economy requires a complete overhaul of luminaire product architecture and manufacturing technologies. Ronald Maandonks details how Signify tracks LED driver operating hours and telemetry to calculate remaining useful life for component reuse.

Why is printed electronics so hard to implement in high-power LED luminaire design?

Transitioning from traditional subtractive PCB manufacturing—which relies on chemical etching baths and generates significant water pollution—to additive printed electronics is highly appealing for sustainable hardware development. However, implementing printed circuit traces in industrial and general lighting introduces significant technical hurdles not typically found in low-power consumer electronics.

High-power LED luminaires present severe thermal dissipation issues; when LEDs run too hot, their quantum efficiency drops and lifetime degrades prematurely. Furthermore, these systems operate over large physical areas, requiring robust power distribution lines printed directly onto the luminaire housing that can safely handle relatively high driving voltages.

Resolving these coupled thermal, mechanical, and electrical challenges requires co-designing the entire product architecture. Researchers must develop new dielectric isolation layers, optimize ink conductivity, and design printed traces capable of surviving up to 50,000 hours of continuous operation under constant thermal stress.

In this short video, you can learn:
* The environmental benefits of additive printed electronics over subtractive wet-chemical PCB etching.
* Critical thermal management bottlenecks encountered when printing circuitry directly onto luminaire substrates.
* The challenges of balancing high-voltage power lines and long-term reliability in large-area printed electronics.
📋 **Clip Abstract** This clip highlights the environmental benefits and technical bottlenecks of replacing traditional PCBs with printed electronics in general lighting. Ronald Maandonks explains how severe thermal constraints, high operating voltages, and 50,000-hour lifetime requirements complicate this transition.