01-25-2023

Conformal coatings are all around us. The benefits they offer are discreet but intensely purposeful, as they protect electronic circuitry against harsh environments and help to extend the reliability and lifetime of our devices. With a surge in connectivity adoption via IoT, smart cities, and smart infrastructure networks, the need to protect electronics in different devices is becoming more and more important.

01-02-2023

It goes without saying that bio-based coatings have significantly less impact on the environment and are better able to address the ethical and sustainability requirements of manufacturers and end users than conventional solvent-based coatings. However, the most surprising benefits observed during the development of many new bio-based conformal coatings have been the significant improvements to performance and reliability.

11-23-2022

Most resin systems in use today are extremely complex products with elaborate chemical formulations. Process characteristics and final properties are usually adjusted by the manufacturer to suit the customer’s requirements, and this necessitates a great deal of skill, knowledge, and experience. Yet resin technology is an often-overlooked area in electronics manufacturing. Over the past few years there have been several major developments in material formulation and utilisation that have resulted in extremely effective new products being brought to the market. Beth Massey takes the helm this month.

10-26-2022

Electronic circuits are abundant in modern life and will continue to surge in growth as former manual processes increasingly become automated. The rapid advances we see in technology are driving electronic circuitry to perform faster in harsher environments, in the smallest form, and with the lightest weight. Circuitry failure is not only inconvenient and expensive but as electronic infrastructures become more interconnected, individual failures will put an entire system at risk, which could ultimately put lives in danger for critical applications. It is so important to factor in careful consideration for conformal coatings. In this month’s column, Saskia Hogan covers some important areas to help you steer clear of coating disasters.

09-21-2022

In this month’s column, two of Electrolube’s leading resin specialists have collaborated to give you the clearest focus of how introducing bio-based resins systems will impact your production process and the benefits they bring in terms of performance. Beth Turner is Electrolube’s senior technical specialist and Beth Massey is Electrolube’s global product manager for resins. Having two Beths working on resins may be a little confusing, but this column should help demonstrate the unique input each has and alleviate any confusion.

08-22-2022

With so many different encapsulation resin options on the market, selecting a resin that is best suited for your application can present a real challenge. Today, there are a wide range of different resin systems available, offering a comprehensive range of different properties. It is often assumed that properties can vary moderately, however, resins can offer significantly different benefits. This month, Beth Massey will explore the different factors you will need to take into consideration when comparing resins for your application.

07-14-2022

With environmental awareness at an all-time high, companies are looking for greener options in terms of the chemical products they use for the manufacture and protection of electronics, including conformal coatings that are applied to protect the metal surfaces from corrosion, condensation, dielectric breakdowns, and that mitigate against tin whisker formation and conductive metal particles. Traditionally, these materials have been solvent-based, resulting in low viscosity, easy-to-use materials. However, the use of solvents has become more restricted and there is increasing demand for solvent-free technology. In this month’s column, I’ll be looking at a particular solvent-free coating group—UV cure coatings.

06-15-2022

In this column, I’ll be looking at how to help you improve reliability through thermal management. Poor reliability arising from thermally induced circuit failures might prove detrimental to brand reputation, but if the application served a critical role, the outcome would be unthinkable. Such applications might include a safety critical device upon which the safety of personnel working in a hazardous environment might depend; one that simply would not function without proper thermal management procedures in place; a device that has a defined working temperature range when in use, or a piece of equipment designed to work in harsh or extreme conditions, which must work reliably, regardless of those conditions.

05-27-2022

In this month’s column, I’m going to examine why coatings sometimes fail in service, explore the reasons why they fail, and the steps that you can take to avoid failure in the first place. At Electrolube, we take great care in our research, product formulation and developing the appropriate processing and application techniques for our products, because we know that, on occasion, conformal coatings can fail. It is our business to understand why.

05-04-2022

Electrolube’s Senior Technical Manager Beth Turner picks up the thread of her previous columns to describe where resins are currently playing a vital role in the modern world, while also offering an insight into their thermal conductivity, suitability for RF applications, and exploring a new era of bio-based encapsulation resins that not only improve the environment at large, but also end-use reliability and increased consumer satisfaction.

04-07-2022

Globally, managing finite resources is imperative as we strive to achieve a more innovative and lower emission economy. Reducing dependency on fossil fuels in the chemical industry has led to the emergence of new bio-based alternatives, but what do these bring to the table for electronics manufacturers? Bio-based materials, obtained from biological resources (biomasses, feedstock, plants, and biological waste), deliver a viable and sustainable alternative to materials derived from petrochemicals, and we have developed a new coating incorporating 75% bio-organic content from renewable sources. It’s a global first for the industry and is completely free from solvents.

03-03-2022

Resin chemistries are extensively used for potting and encapsulation in the electronics and electrical industries but not everyone gets it right first time. With so many resin options available, deciding which resin is best suited for your application can present a challenge by itself. In this month’s column, Beth Turner looks at the features and benefits found in each of the three major categories: epoxy, polyurethane, and silicone. She highlights the different types of resin properties and applications, using examples.

10-27-2021

In this month’s column, I will be exploring how resin chemistries can be incorporated by design engineers facing ever increasing new challenges from E-mobility applications.

09-23-2021

For this month’s column, Phil Kinner examines the main methods for achieving the best outcome for your conformal coating process, ultimately increasing the protection afforded by your coating and lifetime of your product.

08-24-2021

In this series on resins, I started by going back to basics, questioning the core rationale for resin choice and application. This month, let’s take a closer look at the fundamental chemistries of potting and encapsulation resins and examine how each resin type offers individual properties that can be exploited to maximise performance under a wide range of environmental conditions.

07-27-2021

New Electrolube columnist Beth Turner starts a series on the all-important subject of resin selection, types of chemistries available and their properties, application, mix and cure.

07-06-2021

Trial and error is an essential process in the development of new and innovative products however, excessive testing can be unnecessary and costly. Incorporating thermal management at the preliminary stage of your design process will ultimately lead to more reliable and cost-effective end products.

05-24-2021

Without a doubt, this is the biggest question we get asked regularly at Electrolube is “When is it suitable to use a conformal coating or an encapsulated resin?”. There are a number of considerations that will determine the answer, however, it depends largely on your how the circuit will be housed within the assembly as well as the type of environment in which it will operate.

04-20-2021

Electrolube’s Jade Bridges reminds us why thermal management plays such a vital function in circuit and electronic assembly design, and explores the factors contributing to the current growth curve in the market.

03-10-2021

This month, Phil Kinner examines some of the key differences between conformal coatings, encapsulation resins and potting compounds to help designers make more informed decisions, and ultimately help to increase the performance, reliability and lifetime of your electronic circuitry. He also looks at issues that some of you may have with mixing resin packs and air bubbles, what can go wrong and why.

02-15-2021

In this month’s column, Phil Kinner revisits a couple of general enquiries Electrolube has received about "bubbling' and also, the less common appearance of cloudy, white patches following the application of a conformal coating.

12-28-2020

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive from customers is, “Which is better to protect my PCB: a coating or a resin?” In this month’s column, Phil Kinner demystifies why one may be more suitable for your application than the other and explores coatings and resins in more detail.

11-10-2020

Jade Bridges concentrates on some of the complications you are likely to encounter when selecting and applying a thermal interface material and looks a little more closely at thermal resistance, viscosity, and vibration, as well as their effects on performance. Read on to learn how to fully optimize your thermal management process.

10-23-2020

Thermal management plays a central role in circuit and electronic assembly design, ensuring improved reliability and increased performance of devices. But what if you could push the boundaries even further and extend the long-term stability? To explore how this can be achieved, Jade Bridges touches on some of the latest advances in thermal management technology.

09-17-2020

Alistair Little focuses on the benefits of using a thermally conductive encapsulation resin and compare the difference between using a resin and a conformal coating. He also looks more closely at the best way to mix a resin pack and what to be wary of if air bubbles get trapped in the cured resin.

08-19-2020

Phil Kinner takes a look at some issues you are sure to face, from areas of the coated board that simply refuse to cure fully to masking components to the orange peel effect and examining the difference between a critical and a non-critical area of a board.

06-15-2020

When it comes to resin selection and application, there are a plethora of factors to consider. Alistair Little looks at thermally conductive resins, flexible resins, elevated cure temperatures, resin types for different applications, and resin systems that enable wider operating temperatures.

06-09-2020

Thermal management plays a significant role in protecting electronic circuitry. Jade Bridges takes a fresh look at popular subjects within the field of thermal management and explores what occurs when devices overheat, as well as the benefits of thermal gap fillers and how to best avoid pump-out.

05-25-2020

With so much to consider when choosing a thermal management material, it’s important to do your calculations, consider the equipment’s operational, and environmental conditions and experiments. Underestimating these could compromise the reliability of an electronic assembly and shorten its life expectancy. Jade Bridges shares five tips to improve your thermal management process.

05-15-2020

Phil Kinner examines the arch enemies to conformal coatings.

05-05-2020

Readers continue to ask, “Does thicker coverage achieve better performance? What is the best advice for manual potting? We chose an inappropriate resin, so how will this affect our application?” In this column, Alistair Little explores these and other issues based upon frequently asked questions from Electrolube’s customers.

12-31-2019

Over the past few months, I have covered the topic of conformal coatings in as much depth as possible. In this column, I’m going to explore some of the essential factors for designers in coating selection. As we have all experienced, sometimes, things are not always as simple or straightforward as we would like them to be, and in any engineering discipline, there is always the slightest chance that something might go wrong. Thankfully, the key to kicking that possibility is to be as fully prepared as possible. Thus, I’m going to concentrate on helping you avoid coating pitfalls in my five-point guide.

11-15-2019

Phil Kinner concentrates on essential factors regarding the challenges board designs can pose on designers to help you implement a more successful coating operation, as well as issues that may arise with coating coverage, cycle time, and coating flow.

10-18-2019

In this month’s column, I am going to concentrate on protecting sensitive components and take a more in-depth look at flexible resins, their reworkability, and some of the common problematic consequences that you may encounter. Potting compounds play an important role in the electronics industry where they serve to protect sensitive components from chemicals, moisture, dust, and damage, but their selection can baffle many. Let’s explore some frequently asked questions in more detail.

08-29-2019

In my last few columns, I’ve covered quite a bit of ground regarding the important considerations for conformal coating selection and performance, and the suitability of conformal coatings for LEDs and protecting circuitry from the harshest environments. I hope these columns have provided plenty of food for thought as well as given you a basic understanding of coatings and their benefits and limitations. In this column, I’m going to look at the different angles that design engineers and purchasing professionals come from and explore how these can sometimes conflict when selecting conformal coatings.

07-18-2019

So far, in my columns on resin chemistries and encapsulation/potting techniques, I have tended to concentrate on the properties of these materials. My insights have included how they are best applied in the factory, and the steps that must be taken to get the best performance from them once they are in the field to protect an electronic assembly or lighting fixture against the elements. In this column, I am going to address the question of resin failures—in particular, how to avoid them—and to get a better idea of where and how appropriately selected and applied modern resins are making a big difference in the world of extreme electronics installation and implementation.

06-06-2019

In my previous column, Jade Bridges highlighted a few cautionary notes on the pain points associated with thermal management products, particularly the choices that you will be confronted with, such as which material or product type (i.e., pad or paste) is best suited to your application. In this column, she will underline the importance of getting it right, and touch on the consequences if you don’t.

05-16-2019

There are a number of different factors that influence the protection afforded by potting compounds. The act of encapsulating a component or PCB means that it is surrounded by a layer of resin, which completely seals a component or an entire PCB from the environment in which it operates. When mixed, a two-part resin starts a chemical reaction, which results in the resin becoming fully polymerised to provide a homogenous layer.

04-25-2019

Having covered the subject of conformal coatings in depth over the past few months, now is an appropriate time to review some of the key pointers I have tried to share in my various columns. I present some of my thoughts on the essentials in this five-point guide.

03-28-2019

Selecting the right type of thermal management method that will suit a particular electronic assembly and its predicted operating conditions is far from easy. There are a number of stages in the selection process that you should consider taking before you decide upon a particular material or material format, whether paste or pad. In this column on achieving effective thermal management of electronic assemblies, I will revisit our trusted question-and-answer format to bring you some essential pointers, beginning with a few cautionary notes on pain points—the occasional pangs of agony you will have to face during the decision-making process.

03-07-2019

When I last broached the subject of potting and encapsulation resins, I went into some depth on the subject, explaining their chemistries and physical properties, how they behave when being mixed, applied and cured. For this column, I’m going to return to our tried-and-trusted Q&A format to offer four commonly asked questions about resins and their application, together with my responses, which I hope will help you achieve the best outcomes for all your potting and encapsulation jobs. So, setting material choice aside for the moment, let’s start with a key aspect of potting: getting the resin in place.