What sectors are fluoropolymer coatings used?

I am regularly asked where fluoropolymer coatings are used? After all they are a relatively new coating type in the world of conformal coatings and printed circuit boards.

Well to be honest, fluorinated coatings are used in almost all industrial sectors.

They include:

• Aviation
• Aerospace
• Defense
• Automotive
• Industrial
• Oil & Gas
• Electronics
• Medical/Pharmaceutical
• Optics
• Telecommunications
• White goods / Commercial

This list is limited and there are a lot more areas that they are used.

In terms of products that are actually coated right now in fluoropolymer coating materials there are many.

They include:

• Circuit boards
• Mobile phones
• Tablets
• Automotive parts (gears, rotors, pistons)
• Commercial bake-ware
• Glassware, labware
• Machine parts/components
• Printing equipment
• Sintered metal parts
• Catheters, guidewires
• Fasteners
• Screen (metal/synthetic)
• Filter media (cloth, synthetic)
• O-rings, gaskets, seals
• Silicone rubber
• Solenoid, springs, coils

What is really interesting is that these coatings are really advancing in technology and changing all the time. Companies are tailoring the coating technology to the problem.

They are a wonderful material waiting for a project or problem to solve.

They are also being used in new and different ways.

For example, we are now experimenting with depositing the fluorinated films by plasma coating. This actually makes the bonding stronger and improves the overall performance without significant cost.

Fluoropolymer coatings are also being used in new and different ways. They are being depositing by plasma coating. This actually makes the bonding stronger and improves the overall performance without significant cost.

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Need to find out more?

For further information on fluoropolymer coating then contact us directly and we can help you.

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.

Where are conformal coatings being used?

Conformal coatings are being used as protection in ever increasing electronic applications across a wide range of market sectors.

In the past, conformal coating was only applied to military and safety critical products like medical devices as the cost and the process of doing this was high.

However, the emphasis on reliability has changed.

In recent years, the development in materials and new processes, linked with the customer requirement of a reliable electronic product that isn’t safety critical, has meant consumer electronics products must now be protected as well.

With the new technologies like wearable electronics becoming more popular then this trend will only increase and protecting the electronics with a coating of some description will become even more commonplace.

Traditional markets like aerospace, automotive and military sectors still use conformal coatings. However, the growth in use across many other sectors is significant due to customers requiring reliable products for consumer electronics

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So what sectors are using conformal coatings and other thin film technologies?

Due to the fact that conformal coatings provide several key benefits including moisture and insulation properties, chemical resistance and particulate protection, this means they can be used anywhere there is a need for a higher reliability than that which is achieved without the coating.

It is possible to identify both traditional and emerging sectors where conformal coatings are being applied.

These include sectors such as:

• Aerospace
• Defence
• Automotive
• Telecommunications
• Wearable technologies
• Consumer electronics
• Tablets and computers
• Industrial Engineering
• Transport
• White Goods
• Geothermal
• LEDs
• Solar Panels
• Marine and Coastal Environment
• Space
• Medical

Each market sector has a distinct set of requirements in terms of standards, operating environments as well as other factors that impact on the requirements.

The challenge is for the engineer to define the requirements and the suppliers to provide the protection at a commercially effective price.

To find out more click conformal coating basics to discover why conformal coatings are used and what they actually do to protect the circuit boards and products.

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Dr Lee Hitchens is the Author of the Nexus eBook and a main contributor to Nexus.