SABIC Launches PCR-Based Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Compound for Consumer Electronics Applications

According to company reports, SABIC has introduced a new specialty thermoplastic compound containing 75% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, expanding its portfolio of circular materials for high-performance applications. The newly launched LNP™ ELCRIN™ DC0051RC1 compound is the company’s first PCR-based carbon fiber-reinforced material and is designed for consumer electronics housings and other structural components requiring flame retardancy and dimensional stability.

The compound is formulated with polycarbonate (PC) resin and combines recycled content with mechanical and safety properties typically required in demanding electronics applications. According to SABIC, the material offers high stiffness, dimensional stability, low warpage, and thin-wall flame-retardant performance, making it suitable for products such as laptop housings and other large-format electronic enclosures.

The launch reflects growing demand from electronics manufacturers for materials that can support circularity targets while meeting increasingly stringent performance requirements. As brands seek to reduce the environmental footprint of devices, the use of recycled-content engineering plastics is becoming an important part of product design and sustainability strategies.

“SABIC supports customers by developing new materials that enhance circularity,” said Sergi Monros, Vice President of SABIC’s Specialties business unit. “But we do more than incorporate recycled, upcycled or bio-based content in our specialty thermoplastics. Our formulation experts also achieve high levels of performance, aesthetics and processability.”

Monros added that the new compound demonstrates how high recycled-content materials can be engineered to deliver the functional properties required for advanced applications without compromising product quality.

Developing flame-retardant materials with high levels of recycled content remains a technical challenge for compounders, as recycled feedstocks can affect consistency and performance characteristics. SABIC said it developed a new formulation approach that maintains critical mechanical and flame-retardant properties while incorporating 75% PCR content.

The material achieved a UL94 V0 flame-retardancy rating at a thickness of 0.8 mm, enabling thin-wall component designs that can contribute to lightweighting and material efficiency. In addition, the compound utilizes non-chlorinated and non-brominated flame-retardant chemistry, supporting efforts to reduce the environmental and health impacts associated with certain halogenated additives.

The electronics sector continues to face increasing regulatory and market pressure to incorporate recycled materials into products while maintaining durability, safety, and performance standards. Demand for sustainable engineering plastics is expected to grow as manufacturers pursue circular economy objectives and seek to reduce reliance on virgin fossil-based feedstocks.

By combining recycled content with carbon fiber reinforcement and flame-retardant performance, SABIC aims to provide electronics manufacturers with a material solution that addresses both sustainability and technical requirements for structural applications.

Source: SABIC

SUNSHINE Spotlight: SABIC’s new LNP™ ELCRIN™ compound combines 75% post-consumer recycled content with carbon fiber reinforcement and UL94 V0 flame-retardant performance, highlighting the growing role of high-performance recycled materials in consumer electronics manufacturing.