Best Types of Coating for PCB

In today’s modern world, we all rely on electronics in our day-to-day lives. From cell phones to cars, electronics are present in nearly every moment of our day as individuals as well as in commercial and industrial operations. Because electrical systems and devices are vulnerable to damages from various natural and manmade sources, it is necessary to protect PCBs from contaminants that can compromise performance or longevity.

One form of PCB protection is conformal coating, which is a film that is applied to a fully assembled circuit board. This layer acts as a shield to protect the PCB against dust, dirt, and other chemicals as well as moisture that can lead to corrosion. Conformal coating can be applied via several different techniques with dipping and spraying being the most common as they are suitable for higher volumes of PCBs and are known for their consistency.

Best Types of Coating for PCBs

As electronics become more complex, the use of conformal coating has become more prevalent. It is important to not only coat your PCB, but to select the right type of coating for your specific application. While there are several conformal coating options available, below is information about the best types of coating for PCBs. It is helpful for OEMs to team up with an electronics partner that can guide you through the conformal coating process to ensure the right coating is selected for your application. Additionally, it is important to work with a company, like RiverSide Integrated Solutions (RIS), that offers a variety of coating options such as silicone, acrylic, and urethane that work well for a wide range of electronics applications.

Silicone: silicone is one of the most common types of conformal coating for PCBs. There are many advantages to using silicone but its protection across a broad range of temperatures is often the property that sets it apart. For this reason, silicone conformal coating is often utilized for electronics that are exposed to harsh operating conditions, including extreme heat and high humidity. Silicone is also chemical and corrosion resistant. It should be noted that if repairs are necessary, silicone can be difficult to remove once applied and requires a chemical solvent to loosen the coating along with agitation.

Have a complex project that needs conformal coating to safeguard PCB performance?

Contact the team at RIS to leverage our PCB coating solutions.

Acrylic: acrylic is another common type of conformal coating that is often a cost-effective solution. This type of coating has a good degree of abrasion and corrosion resistance. Acrylic is not an ideal coating for extreme conditions, especially high temperature environments. Compared to silicone, acrylic is not as resistant to chemicals or solvents. However, acrylic coatings are much easier to remove for rework or repairs.
Urethane: this type of conformal coating is known for its excellent chemical and moisture resistance. Similar to silicone, removal is often challenging with urethane coatings and requires a solvent bath and agitation.

RIS – Your Trusted Electronics Partner

RiverSide Integrated Solutions (RIS) is an advanced contract manufacturer providing robust solutions in circuit board assembly, electromechanical & mechanical assembly, kitting, supply chain management, fulfillment, distribution, and reverse logistics. We employ more than 300 people and provide services to OEM’s across the world. We operate 3 state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities within the U.S, and as your one-stop-shop we have the capabilities, capacity, quality assurance standards, and resources to provide you with support for all of your manufacturing needs. Our size makes us flexible and allows for customized solutions and quick response to our customer’s ever-changing needs. We offer various services including:

Product Assembly: providing solutions that include building sub-assemblies that are delivered to factories across the world to building products start-to-finish.
PCB Assembly: reliable, seamlessly-assembled printed circuit board systems built with extreme precision utilizing our skill engineers, technicians, and assemblers.
Kitting Solutions: complete turnkey vendor solutions with package design, kit assembly, warehousing, and distribution services.
Reverse Logistics: a trusted fulfillment and distribution partner with expertise in everything from e-commerce, shipments direct to factory production lines, and distribution to dealer networks worldwide.

Quality, commitment, integrity, continuous improvement, and adaptability are at the heart of RIS’ core values. They keep us aligned and help us make decisions about everything we do. Our customers, coworkers, community, and environment are our stakeholders – and we consider them in every decision we make.

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