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Overview

General comment

Miniature vibration motors for haptic feedback in mobile devices, wearables, and gaming controllers. Two main types: LRA (Linear Resonant Actuator) for crisp, responsive haptics, and ERM (Eccentric Rotating Mass) for lower-cost applications. LRAs use voice coil technology for linear motion; ERMs use a rotating eccentric mass on a DC motor shaft. LRAs are preferred in premium smartphones for precise haptic feedback.

Technology
Electromechanical Component, Haptic Actuator
Geography
Global average data from equipment vendor specifications and industry literature

System boundary

System boundary - Vibration MotorSystem boundary figure: identity, gate in, entering flows, the dashed system boundary and the unit processes inside it, the reference product, emissions and waste, and below it the flows that are recorded but not quantified. No inventory quantities.Vibration MotorGATE INRaw materials and sub-componentsENTERING FLOWSElectricityMaterialsSYSTEM BOUNDARYMODELLED PROCESS SEQUENCEProcess sequenceHousing Deep DrawingSpring StampingLRA AssemblyREFERENCE PRODUCTVibration MotorAssembled and tested componentEMISSIONS AND WASTEEmissions to airEmissions to waterWaste routesRECORDED BUT NOT QUANTIFIEDExclusions not yet characterisedNo exclusion record was found for this datasetNOT CHARACTERISEDsystem boundaryreference flowentering flowemission / waste

The figure groups this dataset's unit processes by class. It is not a count of manufacturing steps — each process runs over as many passes as the flow requires, and those pass counts ship with the dataset.

Download this figure (SVG)

Data quality and references

Composite DQI 2.4 Good
Reliability
3.3
Completeness
2.3
Temporal
2.3
Geographic
2.0
Technological
2.3

Pedigree scores follow the ecoinvent data-quality matrix: 1 is the best attainable, 5 the weakest. The composite is their aggregate.

Sampling procedure
Component vendor specifications, academic papers, industry literature
Coverage status
Partial
Pedigree-scored source files
3 — the source records behind this dataset's manufacturing operations. Each carries the five pedigree axes above; the composite DQI aggregates them.

Technosphere inputs

8 flows. Quantities are not published; they ship with the dataset on Circa.

Electricity, China (CN) ElectricitykWh · -48.1% / +93.7%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from equipment energy across all manufacturing operations. This model includes no facility support, so the total is the manufacturing operations alone.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of connector and electromechanical component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

No source is attached to this row.

Source citations
Not stated
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12
Background dataset
electricity, medium voltage
Uncertainty
-48.1% / +93.7% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kWh
Sintered NdFeB magnet Materialkg · -34.8% / +41.3%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of connector and electromechanical component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

No source is attached to this row.

Source citations
Not stated
Background data
proxy-mapped
Background dataset
permanent magnet, for electric motor
Uncertainty
-34.8% / +41.3% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
Copper, cathode Materialkg · -28.6% / +42.9%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of connector and electromechanical component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

No source is attached to this row.

Source citations
Not stated
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12
Background dataset
copper, cathode
Notes
From Enameled copper wire (97.0% copper)
Uncertainty
-28.6% / +42.9% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
Nylon 6-6 Materialkg · -28.6% / +42.9%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of connector and electromechanical component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

No source is attached to this row.

Source citations
Not stated
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12
Background dataset
nylon 6-6
Notes
From Enameled copper wire (3.0% enamel). Polyimide/polyamide enamel coating (~3% by mass)
Uncertainty
-28.6% / +42.9% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
Stainless steel 304 Materialkg · -28.6% / +42.9%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of connector and electromechanical component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

No source is attached to this row.

Source citations
Not stated
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12
Background dataset
steel, chromium steel 18/8, hot rolled
Uncertainty
-28.6% / +42.9% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
Spring steel Materialkg · ±29.4%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of connector and electromechanical component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

No source is attached to this row.

Source citations
Not stated
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12
Background dataset
steel, low-alloyed, hot rolled
Uncertainty
±29.4% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg
FPC/flex circuit Materialm2 · -40% / +60%
Derivation basis
  • The linked board is the two-layer flexible circuit dataset, whose reference product is one square metre of finished board. A kilogram booked against it carries no area, so a consumer either reads the number as that many square metres or, as this project's own screening did, withholds the row altogether; either way the link is lost. The reference area above is this row's own purchased mass divided by the areal mass of that finished board, 270.222375 g per square metre. The board states its own constituents per square metre: a 25 micrometre polyimide core at 35 g, a bonding adhesive at 18 g, rolled-annealed copper foil at 320 g, via and trace plating at 80 g, a coverlay at 55 g and a surface finish at 2.222375 g. Those are purchased figures and they sum to the 510.222375 g per square metre the board declares as its total. The finish term is the deposit the board's own finishing route leaves on it: nickel, the phosphorus co-deposited with it, and gold, each read from that route's own declarations. The nickel salt bought to fund the deposit is a much larger and separate quantity, and the finishing step books it for itself. The same board states the copper that stays on it after etching as 160 g and, separately, an etch sludge of 240 g, so the finished board is that list with 160 g of copper in place of 400, which is 270.222375 g per square metre. The copper side closes on two declarations made independently of each other, and the finish side closes on the board and its own route saying the same thing. The purchased mass itself is unchanged and stays on the face; the band published on the row is the row's own authored mass band carried through the same division, and the uncertainty of the divisor is not propagated into it.

The sources for this row are listed below.

Source citations
Upstream REEL dataset
2-Layer Flex PCB, ENIG finish
Background dataset
Modelled by REEL; see the upstream dataset above.
Uncertainty
-40% / +60% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
m2
Epoxy adhesive Materialkg · -40% / +50%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from per-operation consumption, operation counts, and manufacturing yield.
  • REEL derivation: engineering estimate of connector and electromechanical component mass and material split, built from vendor catalogue and product-page data for representative parts; no single published inventory covers this component class

No source is attached to this row.

Source citations
Not stated
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12
Background dataset
epoxy resin, liquid
Uncertainty
-40% / +50% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg

Outputs and waste

Trimming Scrap Solid wasteg
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from the mass balance of spent materials and consumables, with treatment selected from the waste classification.

No source is attached to this row.

Source citations
Not stated
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12 treatment route
Background dataset
market for iron scrap, sorted, pressed
Uncertainty
No range defined.
Unit
g
Spent Lubricant Solid wasteg
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from the mass balance of spent materials and consumables, with treatment selected from the waste classification.

No source is attached to this row.

Source citations
Not stated
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12 treatment route
Background dataset
treatment of hazardous waste, hazardous waste incineration, with energy recovery
Uncertainty
No range defined.
Unit
g
Wire Scrap Solid wasteg
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from the mass balance of spent materials and consumables, with treatment selected from the waste classification.

The sources below come from the manufacturing operations behind this row.

Sources (inherited)
Inherited, rolled up from the contributing process steps:
  • KZL Industrial Automation. "KZL-224 Automatic Stator Coil Winding Machine." (Details 13.6 kW power consumption and 0.5 Mpa air pressure)
  • KZL Industrial Automation. "KZL-228 & KZL-310 Stator Winding Machines." (10 kW and 1.5 kVA consumption profiles)
  • Riley et al. (1996). "Journal of Applied Physics 79:6342." (Empirical 1.72 kJ discharge on 4-pole NdFeB, 3380 A peak)
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12 treatment route
Background dataset
market for copper scrap, sorted, pressed
Uncertainty
No range defined.
Unit
g
Adhesive Waste Solid wasteg
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from the mass balance of spent materials and consumables, with treatment selected from the waste classification.

The sources below come from the manufacturing operations behind this row.

Sources (inherited)
Inherited, rolled up from the contributing process steps:
  • KZL Industrial Automation. "KZL-224 Automatic Stator Coil Winding Machine." (Details 13.6 kW power consumption and 0.5 Mpa air pressure)
  • KZL Industrial Automation. "KZL-228 & KZL-310 Stator Winding Machines." (10 kW and 1.5 kVA consumption profiles)
  • Riley et al. (1996). "Journal of Applied Physics 79:6342." (Empirical 1.72 kJ discharge on 4-pole NdFeB, 3380 A peak)
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12 treatment route
Background dataset
treatment of inert waste, sanitary landfill
Uncertainty
No range defined.
Unit
g
Scrapped material (line yield) Solid wastekg · -31.9% / +41.6%
Derivation basis
  • Calculated from the mass balance of spent materials and consumables, with treatment selected from the waste classification.

The sources below are this dataset's own bibliography. They are not tied to this row.

Source citations (dataset-level)
Inherited from this dataset's own bibliography, not tied to this row:
Background data
ecoinvent 3.12 treatment route
Background dataset
treatment of inert waste, sanitary landfill
Notes
Calculated reject material after accounting for a manufacturing yield of 99%.
Uncertainty
-31.9% / +41.6% around the published quantity. The bounds themselves ship with the dataset on Circa.
Unit
kg

Emissions to air

No emissions to air are recorded at this level.

Emissions to water

No emissions to water are recorded at this level.

Flows not quantified

No flows are recorded for this dataset without a quantity.

Limitations and unquantified flows (1)

Limits this dataset declares about itself: first any limit stated in its own description, then any limit it declares flow by flow, grouped by channel. Each entry below is the model's own disclosure.

From the dataset description

  • Limitation: the final assembly electricity is taken from this project's own inventory for a larger brushless fan motor, whose assembly energy is itself a declared estimate rather than a measurement. It stands in for an actuator of this size, and it dominates the electricity this dataset reports. The assembly material losses that inventory carries are scaled to this actuator's own bill; the electricity is not, because no basis for scaling it is available.

The flows above are this dataset's own records. What follows are the scope rules set once for the whole database in the methodology report, repeated here so every dataset page carries them.

Database-wide boundary policy — applies to every REEL dataset

These boundaries are set once for the whole database, in Chapter 2 of the methodology report, and apply to this dataset wherever they are relevant to it. The excluded flows listed above are specific to this dataset.

Use phase
Product operation is outside the cradle-to-gate scope.
End-of-life treatment
Recycling and disposal are outside the cradle-to-gate scope.
Distribution and retail
The gate is a finished component ready for integration into a higher-level assembly.
Inbound transport of raw materials
Transport of purchased raw materials to the manufacturing facility is already inside the upstream "market for" datasets that users link to a background database, so it is not modelled a second time here. This does not cover freight between REEL production stages, which is modelled where a dataset authors it.
Returnable shipping containers
Where freight between production stages is modelled, the mass moved is the product itself. The shipping container (FOSB, SEMI M31) is returnable capital equipment whose per-trip share is unsourced, so its tare is excluded from the transport effort.
Photomask fabrication
A mask set's embodied burden is amortised across a high-volume production run and is not attributed per wafer. Users assessing low-volume production should add mask fabrication separately; the methodology report gives the basis for the exclusion.
Employee transport, administration and R&D overhead
Employee transportation, facility administration and R&D/pilot-production overhead are outside scope.
Capital goods
Manufacturing equipment, cleanroom construction and facility infrastructure are excluded, on the grounds of absent public data on equipment embodied energy, uncertainty in equipment lifetime and allocation, common practice in electronics LCA, and a focus on the operational inventory. Future versions may include capital goods when sufficient public data becomes available.
Precious metal recovery credits
Scrap recovery credits for precious metals are excluded pending data availability.
Wafer reclaim
Test wafers and scrap are outside the system boundary.

Inside the boundary, linked rather than modelled

Silicon ingot growth and wafer slicing
Inside the cradle-to-gate scope, but treated as upstream material inputs linked to background databases rather than modelled as REEL processes.
Freight between production stages
Where a dataset's product moves between REEL production stages - wafer fabrication to the packaging site, for example - that leg is authored as a transport service and linked to an ecoinvent freight activity. It is measured as a transport effort in tonne-kilometres, not as a mass. Route distances are authored per route class with a stated band; a lower bound of zero is a modelling statement that the two sites can be co-located, not a missing value.

Cut-off criteria

A flow is excluded from a process inventory when it contributes less than 1 % of the total mass of inputs to that unit process, or less than 1 % of its total energy input. The denominator is total process inputs, not product mass. That distinction matters in semiconductor manufacturing, where the input mass of water, chemicals and gases greatly exceeds the product mass, so the threshold removes only genuinely minor flows.

Included regardless of the cut-off

  • Perfluorocarbons (CF4, C2F6, SF6, NF3) - high GWP, EPA regulated
  • Heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, Cr(VI)) - RoHS regulated, high toxicity
  • Volatile organics (photoresist solvents, PGMEA) - air quality
  • Precious metals (Au, Ag, Pd, Pt) - high embodied impacts
  • Ozone-depleting substances (legacy CFCs, HCFCs) - Montreal Protocol