Technical Library | 2017-12-07 10:35:50.0
Electronics manufacturers protect their circuit boards with conformal coatings. Conformal coatings serve as a barrier from environmental hazards and internal shorts, tin whiskers, and corrosion at the board level. Within conformal coatings different material chemistries specialize in shielding from an array of hazards and can be applied by multiple methods. The most common method is atomized spray which disperses the material into a fine mist. Alternatively, non-atomized coating controls the materials' dispense shape while maintaining the original liquid form. While some applications demand atomized spray and other scenarios overlap between atomized and non-atomized coating, this paper focuses on the circumstances where materials are ideally suited for non-atomized, selective coating.
Technical Library | 2023-12-06 03:28:49.0
Mastering Precision: I.C.T's SMT Conformal Coating Valves Introduction Of SMT Conformal Coating Valves: In various industries, including electronics, lighting, energy, and life sciences, the SMT conformal coating process plays a critical role. Precision is key, and the choice of a SMT coating valve significantly influences application quality. This article explores I.C.T's SMT conformal coating valves, focusing on the C-0101, C-L101, PJ-01, PJ-01 (with plastic bucket), C-0100, D-0100, D-0300, and the W Series. C-0101 Water Curtain Spray SMT Conformal Coating Valves: The C-0101, a non-atomizing water curtain spray valve, excels with low-viscosity solvent materials. It ensures clean and precise edges in applications like conformal coatings, UV adhesives, backfilling, and volatile substances. C-L101 Rotary Water Curtain Spray Valve: Similar to the C-0101, the C-L101 suits low-viscosity solvent materials, offering a precise edge without splashing for various coatings. PJ-01 Injection Valve (Without Plastic Bucket): Designed for high-precision applications in electronics, lighting, energy, and life sciences, the PJ-01 excels in accurate dispensing and coating. It accommodates various materials, including red glue, liquids, and pastes. PJ-01 Injection Valve (With Plastic Bucket 30CC): The PJ-01, with a 30cc plastic bucket, maintains high precision for complex circuit board applications, offering precise dispensing for materials like red glue, liquids, and pastes. C-0100 Non-Rotating Film Valve: Different from pneumatic atomizing valves, the C-0100 provides precise edge definition without air pressure involvement. It addresses issues related to atomizing drift and fast-drying adhesives, allowing control over the film width. D-0100 Precision Valve: The D-0100, with a unique fluid-sealing structure driven by compressed air, minimizes seal replacement frequency. Suitable for various fluid dispensing, it handles UV adhesives, encapsulating materials, silicones, epoxies, and surface coatings. D-0300 Dispensing Valve: Tailored for precision fluid dispensing at low driving pressure, the D-0300 accommodates a range of materials, including acrylics, silicones, epoxies, and UV adhesives. It's ideal for applications where accuracy and consistency are crucial. W Series: Needle Design Atomization Valves: The W Series offers needle design valves leaving zero residue. Easy to clean without disassembly, they provide adjustable fluid and air pressure for various coating materials, ensuring excellent atomization effects. Analyzing The Options: When selecting a conformal coating valve, consider specific application requirements. C-0101 and C-L101 suit low-viscosity solvent materials, providing clean and precise edges. PJ-01, with or without a plastic bucket, offers high-precision dispensing for complex applications. C-0100 and D-0100 are versatile for various materials, and D-0300 excels in precision dispensing. The W Series offers residue-free needle design atomization valves. Choose based on material, precision, and coating needs. Integration with I.C.T's Conformal Coating Machines: Integral to I.C.T's Conformal Coating machines, these valves enable precise application tailored to specific requirements. Machines like I.C.T-T550, I.C.T-T550U, I.C.T-T600, and I.C.T-T650 come equipped with a range of valve options catering to diverse production line needs. I.C.T SMT Coating Machine.png Conclusion: Selecting the right conformal coating valve is crucial for consistent, high-quality results. Evaluate options based on material, precision, and coating requirements. I.C.T provides tailored solutions for electronic assembly needs. For detailed insights into coating and dispensing machines, follow the provided link. Professional engineers are ready to assist in designing a production line that perfectly matches your requirements, ensuring optimal performance. Contact us for more information and tailored solutions to elevate your conformal coating processes.
Technical Library | 2013-10-22 07:38:42.0
In conformal coating many components and printed circuit board locations must remain uncoated due to the insulating nature of the coating. The purpose of the conformal coating masking materials is to prevent migration of the conformal coatings into components that need to clear and designated keep out areas. This applies to both liquid conformal coating and Parylene processing. Get this basic process wrong and it can be a big problem, leading to the next stage of either repairing the conformal coating leak, stripping the conformal coating off the circuit board, removing a component to replace it or scrapping the board. This paper reviews typical masking application methods in conformal coating and provides advice on minimising problems.
Technical Library | 2016-05-19 16:03:37.0
As consumers become more reliant on their handheld electronic devices and take them into new environments, devices are increasingly exposed to situations that can cause failure. In response, the electronics industry is making these devices more resistant to environmental exposures. Printed circuit board assemblies, handheld devices and wearables can benefit from a protective conformal coating to minimize device failures by providing a barrier to environmental exposure and contamination. Traditional conformal coatings can be applied very thick and often require thermal or UV curing steps that add extra cost and processing time compared to alternative technologies. These coatings, due to their thickness, commonly require time and effort to mask connectors in order to permit electrical conductivity. Ultra-thin fluorochemical coatings, however, can provide excellent protection, are thin enough to not necessarily require component masking and do not necessarily require curing. In this work, ultra-thin fluoropolymer coatings were tested by internal and industry approved test methods, such as IEC (ingress protection), IPC (conformal coating qualification), and ASTM (flowers-of-sulfur exposure), to determine whether this level of protection and process ease was possible.
Technical Library | 2019-09-24 15:41:53.0
This paper focuses on three different coating material groups which were formulated to operate under high thermal stress and are applied at printed circuit board manufacturing level. While used for principally different applications, these coatings have in common that they can be key to a successful thermal management concept especially in e-mobility and lighting applications. The coatings consist of: Specialty (green transparent) liquid photoimageable solder masks (LPiSM) compatible with long-term thermal storage/stress in excess of 150°C. Combined with the appropriate high-temperature base material, and along with a suitable copper pre-treatment, these solder resists are capable of fulfilling higher thermal demands. In this context, long-term storage tests as well as temperature cycling tests were conducted. Moreover, the effect of various Cu pre-treatment methods on the adhesion of the solder masks was examined following 150, 175 and 200°C ageing processes. For this purpose, test panels were conditioned for 2000 hours at the respective temperatures and were submitted to a cross-cut test every 500 h. Within this test set-up, it was found that a multi-level chemical pre-treatment gives significantly better adhesion results, in particular at 175°C and 200°C, compared with a pre-treatment by brush or pumice brush. Also, breakdown voltage as well as tracking resistance were investigated. For an application in LED technology, the light reflectivity and white colour stability of the printed circuit board are of major importance, especially when high-power LEDs are used which can generate larger amounts of heat. For this reason, a very high coverage power and an intense white colour with high reflectivity values are essential for white solder masks. These "ultra-white" and largely non-yellowing LPiSM need to be able to withstand specific thermal loads, especially in combination with high-power LED lighting applications. The topic of thermal performance of coatings for electronics will also be discussed in view of printed heatsink paste (HSP) and thermal interface paste (TIP) coatings which are used for a growing number of applications. They are processed at the printed circuit board manufacturing level for thermal-coupling and heat-spreading purposes in various thermal management-sensitive fields, especially in the automotive and LED lighting industries. Besides giving an overview of the principle functionality, it will be discussed what makes these ceramic-filled epoxy- or silicone-based materials special compared to using "thermal greases" and "thermal pads" for heat dissipation purposes.
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