Fundamentals FAQs

It protects assemblies from moisture, condensation, dust, chemicals, and corrosion, helping prevent leakage currents and failures. This improves field reliability and extends product lifetime.

Common threats include humidity, salt fog, pollution, flux residues, and handling contamination. Coatings create a barrier that reduces electrochemical migration and dendrite growth.

Yes—by reducing corrosion mechanisms and surface leakage, coating often increases MTBF and lowers warranty returns in harsh environments.

High-humidity or coastal regions, automotive/transport, aerospace/defence, industrial controls, medical devices, and any product with exposure to contaminants or condensation.

Poor adhesion, cracking, swelling, or chemical attack may occur, leading to reliability issues and difficult rework. Always validate chemistry with coupon testing.

Too thin can leave gaps; too thick can trap solvent or stress parts. Incomplete cure reduces dielectric strength and adhesion. Follow the TDS and validate cure.

Before production—evaluate adhesion, thickness window, and rework on representative coupons/boards. See Process → inspection.

When you need pinhole-free films, exceptional edge coverage, and high barrier performance (e.g., mission-critical or miniaturised electronics). See Materials → Parylene dimers.

Coatings greatly resist moisture but are not a guarantee of “waterproofing,” especially for immersion or pressure. For immersion scenarios, consider Parylene or encapsulation.

Coatings form thin films (tens of microns) and are lighter, while encapsulants are thick potting materials that fully surround components for maximum protection.

Possibly—with the right material, thickness, and design, but it must be validated. Consider Parylene (vacuum-deposited) or dedicated waterproofing approaches.

Seal connectors, reduce standoff gaps where water can pool, and specify correct coating/materials. See Process → application.

High throughput and uniform coverage, but higher masking load. Best for stable designs and volume production.

When you need targeted coverage and minimal masking. Robotic selective systems deliver precision and repeatability. See Equipment → robotic selective.

Primarily, yes. Brushing supports quick fixes and small builds, but consistency is limited compared with automated methods.

Balance geometry, keep-out areas, throughput, and coating chemistry. Many lines use a hybrid approach (e.g., selective plus manual touch-up).

Commonly IPC-A-610 (workmanship) and IPC-CC-830 (qualification). Sector-specific needs may add IEC, MIL, or DEF-STD requirements.

Document material qualifications, application parameters, inspection results, and rework records. See Process → inspection.

Often—especially in aerospace/medical. Agree acceptance criteria (coverage, thickness, defects) during NPI.

UV and white light inspection, magnification, thickness gauges, and, where necessary, cross-sectioning. See Equipment → inspection booths.

Residues reduce adhesion and dielectric performance, increasing risk of corrosion and leakage. Cleaning is a key reliability control.

Set a measurable spec (ionic contamination, SIR, ROSE). Validate routinely and after process changes. See Process → cleaning & reliability.

Aqueous, semi-aqueous, and solvent cleaning with validated chemistries; ensure full drying before coating.

Poor adhesion, corrosion, and early failures. Root cause analysis often traces defects (e.g., dewetting/fisheyes) to contamination.

Define requirements → choose material → set masking strategy → select equipment/method → validate thickness & cure → inspect to standards → document and train.

Lock critical parameters, create work instructions, qualify on coupons and pilot lots, then ramp with SPC on thickness/defects.

Process flow, parameter windows, TDS/SDS, inspection criteria, rework guidelines, and batch traceability records.

Manufacturing engineering with quality support. Implement audits and training; monitor KPIs like first-pass yield and defect rates.