Conformal coating technology for electronic parts

The new conformal coating technology for electronic parts refers to protective chemical materials that are applied in layers up to 0.13 mm thick on a printed circuit board to create a protective film for the components.

These coatings are used in accordance with IPC-A-610 standards for electronic components and to protect circuit boards from environmental influences, including dust, moisture, aggressive chemicals, mechanical stress and to prevent corrosion of solder joints due to their contact with air.

These coatings not only extend device life, but also add value to industrial systems processed for key electronics applications such as defence, aerospace, digital signage, automotive and industrial computers.

The main advantages of using conformal coating technology for electronic parts include:

• Reduced overall cost of the system. To meet requirements to protect components from dust and moisture, electronic system manufacturers often strive to meet IP requirements by creating insulated enclosures. However, not all end users may require heavy and expensive enclosures. In environments where direct contact with water is unlikely, the use of IP-rated products may be more costly, which in turn reduces the cost-effectiveness of the chosen solution. In dustproof environments, a conformal coating can be applied to protect the plates and reduce the overall cost of the system without sacrificing reliability.
• Longer system lifetime. Component failures in industrial systems are costly because they often process critical data or operate in difficult to access environments. High reliability and long Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) is not a marketing strategy, but a key metric in the above industries. The conformal coating completely covers the surface of the PC board, eliminating premature failure of the GPU and gold-plated interface connectors by creating a protective outer layer.

That said, the best practice for the use of the conformal coating technology for electronic parts is through the use of an automatic dispenser.. But what characteristics does conformal coating have to have to be suitable for finished components?

• Top quality materials. To create a reliable protective coating, high quality, fast-drying acrylics are used to reduce the effects of dust and meet IPC, UL and MIL coating standards. These coatings provide excellent moisture protection and electrical insulation, are easily repaired, do not shrink when cured, and contain fluorescent substances for easy inspection under ultraviolet light.
• Internal processing. Conformal coating is also used for internal processing to prevent contamination during transport. In such cases, all resin-coated devices are UV tested with coating thickness measurements prior to shipment to ensure the quality of the delivered devices.

What are the conformal coating methods for electronic parts?

• Immersion. Dip coating is a reusable coating method suitable for large graphics cards. The coating material will cover all parts of the PCB. This method is economically viable for large volume orders, while deviations in thickness values are possible due to temperature, dipping time and other environmental factors. At this point, a supplier of an automatic conformal coating dispensing system for electronic parts will help you to optimise production in the electronics sector.
• Splashes. Particularly suitable for small to medium sized boards, the spraying method can provide uniform surface coverage under ideal conditions. Results will vary with the speed, position and pressure of the sprayer and the height of the component. Spraying does not reach the deepest parts of the board components, so additional treatment may be required to completely cover some boards.
• Brush. An economical method of coating small printed circuit boards, the uniformity of thickness depends on the skill of the operator and the type of brush. Like spraying, this method does not always penetrate deep into components and may require additional processing.
• Selective application. Conformal coating is not always applied to the entire surface of the board, and in case protection of certain components is required, they are processed, while the rest remains unaffected.

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