Conformal Coating for China-Made PCBAs
1 resources tagged with "Conformal Coating"
Conformal coating protects a populated PCBA against moisture, dust, and condensation — essential for outdoor IoT, automotive, and marine electronics built in China. The main material families are acrylic (AR), silicone (SR), urethane (UR), and parylene, each with different temperature range, reworkability, and cost; acrylic is the cheap default, parylene the premium vapor-deposited option. Quality is judged against IPC-CC-830B, with typical wet-film thickness in the 25-75 micron range depending on material, and the most common defect is incomplete coverage or bridging around tall components.
When you spec conformal coating, you name the material class, the target thickness, and the keep-out areas (connectors, test points) — leaving it vague gets you a thin, inconsistent spray that fails the first humidity test. We inspect coverage under UV against IPC-CC-830B criteria rather than trusting a visual pass.
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FAQ
Which conformal coating material should I choose?
Acrylic is cheapest and easy to rework but offers modest protection; silicone handles wide temperature swings; urethane resists chemicals; parylene gives the best uniform coverage at the highest cost. The right choice depends on operating environment and whether you'll need to rework boards later.
How do I verify conformal coating quality from a Chinese factory?
Inspect under UV light for full coverage and correct keep-outs, measure wet or cured film thickness against your spec, and check against IPC-CC-830B. Bridging across connectors and thin or missed areas around tall parts are the typical defects.
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