Silione conformal coatings are an excellent choice for customers who have a high temperature or moisture environment. Download the Silicone Resin 101: Coating Facts Sheet today to learn more about this popular coating!
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Corrosion can occur when a continuous layer of water condenses on the electronic circuitry. The water needs only a few dissolved ions to become conductive and allow electrochemical reactions to start, resulting in corrosion of metals on the circuit or the creation of electrical leakage between conductors, especially with bias voltages that are present in the circuitry.
Protecting the circuit with silicone, however, is one of the most effective ways to extend the life of the electronics in harsh use environments. This finding has been documented over decades of use in the industry in many different applications and use situations. Read on to learn the properties, benefits, and applications of silicone conformal coating and how Diamond MT can serve as your silicone coating provider.
One of the keys for providing protection to underlying circuitry and other metallic surfaces is attaining good wetting and adhesion of the cured silicone to all surfaces of the electronic device or module. Liquid water is easily excluded at the cured surface of silicone coatings, but water vapor, present as humidity in the air can permeate the interface.
However, without a place to collect below the coating, water vapor causes no ill effects. Good adhesion eliminates gaps where liquid water could condense. Conformal coatings also provide protection from vibration and a wide variety of contaminants such as vapors, some solvents, and salt spray.
In addition to humidity and moisture resistance and contaminant protection, silicone conformal coating has these properties:
Silicone-based conformal coatings can be tough, abrasion-resistant, or soft, stress-relieving materials depending on the formulation. They're available as both solvent-based and 100% solids formulations. The 100% solids materials can be cured with heat, moisture, or UV. Removability is typically not an issue as chemical strippers are available that enable this process.
The specific advantages of silicone conformal coatings include:
As with epoxies and urethanes, there are some handling issues with silicone coatings. There can be potential contamination from other organic materials, and the coating may have low mechanical strength. However, silicone conformal coating is the best available for temperature stability and durability, making it ideal for critical applications.
Three application methods work for silicone coatings:
Silicone conformal coatings are most widely used in high-temperature environments due to their innate ability to withstand prolonged exposure to higher temperatures than most other conformal coating chemistries. This attribute has made them the primary choice for under-the-hood automotive, industrial and aerospace applications where they are used on critical devices in harsh environments, such as industrial networking.
Silicone coatings are also capable of being applied in thicker films, making them useful as a vibration dampening or isolation tool if the coated assembly is to be placed in a high vibration environment.
If you need a conformal coating that can withstand extreme temperatures for mission-critical systems, you can trust Diamond MT. We are a silicone coating company with extensive experience in applying all conformal coatings. We have developed a proven process for applying a silicone conformal coating to any product. During the process, we're diligent about the coating thickness since we understand it cannot be too thick or thin.
Diamond MT will also rework and repair your existing silicone coating. These tasks are fairly simple because silicone is a solder-through material. Removal may require chemical strippers or methylene chloride-based systems. We can also use hydrocarbon-based solvents that will not damage plastic, metal, epoxy glass and other components of printed circuit boards (PCBs).
At Diamond MT, we are a silicone coating provider known in the industry for providing quality conformal coatings. When you partner with us, you will benefit from:
Complete our contact form today for more information about silicone coatings or request a quote to begin your conformal coating order.
There are many different industries that conformal coating plays a critical role in.
