Working with Intel, Dell has developed a new laptop called the Concept Luna to make future PCs easier to repair, reuse, and recycle. Dell said that if all design ideas were considered, a computer’s carbon footprint could be reduced by as much as 50% compared to electricity Laptop models.
An essential feature of Concept Luna are the newly designed components and a new, more efficient layout. First of all, at just 5,580 square millimeters, the motherboard is 75 percent smaller and has 20 percent fewer components. Everything is rearranged with the motherboard near the top cover to expose it to a larger cooling surface. It’s also separate from the battery charger in the base, which allows for better passive cooling that could eliminate the need for a fan.
Dell
The added efficiencies also reduce power requirements, allowing designers to use a smaller battery with deep cycle cells that offer a “long charge that can be sustained for many years, increasing refurbishment and reuse beyond the first product life”. Dell said.
Dell designers not only made the design more energy efficient, they also used less energy-intensive materials that are easier to recycle. For example, the aluminum body was machined with water power and a more efficient stamped construction. Dell also reduced the number of screws ten times, “using only four to access internal components”. This not only reduces the amount of material, but also the repair time (for disassembling, repairing and reassembling key components) by around 1.5 hours.
Dell
Other features include an easily repairable and reusable palm rest, a keyboard mechanism that can be easily separated for replacement and recycling, and a bio-based printed circuit board (PCB) made from flax fiber in the base and water-soluble polymer as an adhesive. “What is remarkable here is that the flax fiber replaces conventional plastic laminates … [and] the water-soluble polymer can “dissolve”, making recycling easier.
Concept Luna is far from being the first green laptop concept. framework, for example, recently demonstrated an easy-to-repair laptop with features like detachable connectors and components labeled so you can fix it yourself.
Dell may not be the most popular PC company in terms of Customer servicebut it is common leads the company charts for environmentally friendly initiatives. Developing a concept that leads the way towards easily repairable, recyclable PCs is a solid step towards reducing plastic waste and pollution in the PC industry. Dell now plans to take the best ideas from Concept Luna and evaluate which ones have the greatest potential to scale to our product portfolio, ”the company wrote.
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