There are a lot of different reasons for using a conformal coating material or Parylene to protect a printed circuit board (PCB).
These reasons can include:
- Barrier protection
- High insulation protection
- High moisture and humidity protection
- Chemical and temperature resistance
- Ruggedising
- Improve dielectric properties
Barrier protection
A conformal coating can create a barrier against attack during the lifetime of the circuit board.
The coating material can prevent various types of particulate contamination reaching the surface of the circuit board, which can lead to problems such as corrosion.
High insulation protection
Conformal coatings can provide a high degree of insulation protection for the circuit board during its lifetime when applied as a protective lacquer.
The circuit board normally starts with a high level of insulation when it is first manufacture as it is normally clean.
However, with time in the field and its natural environment the circuit can degrade in different ways.
The conformal coating can slow this degradation down.
High moisture and humidity protection
Printed circuit boards can be vulnerable to moisture and humidity whilst in the field during its lifetime.
Most conformal coatings are highly resistant to moisture and humidity and this can lead to a reduction in leakage currents, cross talk, electrochemical migration, dendrite growth and arcing across the circuit board.
Chemical and temperature resistance
Some conformal coatings can be highly resistant to many types of solvents, chemical attack and be heat resistant.
Normally, a circuit board exposed to chemically aggressive environment would be attacked but the conformal coating can slow down the effects or even prevent them.
Ruggedising
Conformal coating can prevent damage from rough handling, installation and reduction of mechanical and thermal stress.
Improved dielectric properties
Just as the conformal coating can protect the circuit from moisture it can also help to increase the dielectric strength on the circuit board between components and lead interconnects.
This enables the design of the PCB to be more compact and small.
Need to find out more?
For further information on using conformal coatings then contact us directly.
If you are new to Nexus and our work on conformal coatings then a good place to go is our Start Here page or our free conformal coating ebook.
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