Click the headings for information on the available coatings in each product group.
Acrylic resin conformal coatings are perhaps the most popular of all conformal coatings due to their ease of application, removal and forgiving nature. Acrylics dry rapidly, reaching optimum physical properties in minutes, are fungus resistant and provide long pot life. Additionally, Acrylics give off little or no heat during cure eliminating potential damage to heat-sensitive components. They do not shrink during cure and have good humidity resistance and exhibit low glass transition temperatures. Acrylic resin coatings are easy to apply and can be easily removed for rework using solvents. Spot removal of the coating to repair a solder joint or replace a component can be easily accomplished by localized solvent application. Although not encouraged, Acrylic coatings can be soldered through if preferred.
Polyurethane coatings are available as either single or two-component formulations. Both formulations provide excellent humidity resistance and far greater chemical resistance than do Acrylic coatings. Single component Polyurethanes, while easy to apply and enjoying long pot life, sometimes require very lengthy cure cycles to achieve full or optimum cure. In some instances the cure cycle cycles can be accelerated by the judicious application of heat. Two component formulations can reach optimum cure properties in as little as one to three hours with the assistance of heat. However, when compared to single component formulations, two-component formulas can have a relatively short pot life sometimes making them difficult to work with. Removal of Polyurethane coatings can be difficult due to their very high resistance to solvents. The preferred method of removal is via burn through for spot repair, while the use of specially formulated Strippers enables the user to completely remove the coating from an entire PCB assembly.
Silicones are extremely useful in high temperature environments due to their innate ability to withstand prolonged exposure to higher temperatures than other conformal coating chemistries can tolerate. This attribute has made the choice for automotive under hood applications.They are also capable of being applied in thicker films that are other coatings making them useful as a vibration dampening/isolation tool if the coated assembly is to be placed in a high vibration environment. Rework of Silicone coated assemblies can sometimes be difficult due to their chemical resistance and the fact that, unlike Acrylics and Polyurethanes, they do not vaporize with the application of heat.