Aerospace Improving PCB Conformal Coating Process

Dymax 9482 conformal coating is engineered for coating thicknesses up to 25 um (0.010 in) and offers superior protection to alternative products. The Dymax Edge Carry Conveyor was customized to boost productivity.

Committed to nurturing collaborative partnerships with customers, the Dymax Application Engineering team worked closely with the company to come up with an innovative solution to protect the PCBs from harsh environments. The manufacturer needed an environment-friendly conformal coating that did not crack, delaminate, or show signs of corrosion while maintaining mechanical and electrical properties after testing. Once the reasearch and testing on the customer’s parts was completed dual-cure 9482, a light-curable secondary moisture-cure coating, was recommended to ensure complete cure of coating that flowed underneath components on printed circuit boards.

This material achieved a UL 94-V0 flammability rating up to 10 mils thick which made it ideal for environmental protection of PWBs, wire harnesses, electronic components, and other surfaces needing a protective coating. It passed thermal shock requirements from -55°C and up to 135°C at 10 mils, and protected against moisture, condensation, dust, dirt, salts, chemicals, abrasion, thermal shock, mechanical shock, and other factors that can all affect circuit performance. Dymax 9482 was ideal for the customer’s application since it is engineered for coating thicknesses up to 25 um (0.001 in) and becomes tack free immediately after light curing, helping to avoid handling defects and reduce processing time and costs. In addition, it has no solvents added and fluoresces vivid blue when exposed to UV light (365 nm) for easy post-cure inspection.

To speed curing time our application engineers suggested using a Dymax Edge Carry Conveyor system. The conveyor was customized to a six-lamp system to optimize their production process. Rapid curing allowed the coated boards to swiftly move onto the next step in the manufacturing process with virtually no down/wait time.