A variety of coating equipment is available for use in the conformal coating process. The most important for liquid coatings are described below.

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Tags: conformal coating, automated conformal coating robot, conformal coating equipment, conformal coating spray

Silicone conformal coating is quickly becoming a very popular choice for conformal coating.  Many people are asking for silicone coating because of its excellent moisture resistance, quick drying nature, and high temperature capabilities.  It is also one of the easiest conformal coatings to work with.  In order for the coating to function at its optimum level, it has to be applied at the proper thickness.

Maintaining proper thickness for silicone conformal coating is critical because it is applied very thick compared to other conformal coatings.  If a coating is applied too thick, it may create excessive stresses on solder joints and components (particularly glass-bodied components).  If a coating is applied too thin, it may not reach the optimum properties described on the Technical Data Sheet.  For this reason, the IPC created the J-STD-001 to regulate and standardize the thickness that coatings are applied at.  For silicones, the J-STD-001 calls out 0.00197 to 0.00827 in.  Our operators strive to hit between .002” and .008” for silicone applications.

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Tags: conformal coating, conformal coating methods, conformal coating rework, silicone conformal coating, automated conformal coating robot, conformal coating thickness

A typical conformal coating selective robotic spray process consists of a programmable XYZ coordinate platform with a valve or valves attached to a controllable arm, depositing coating onto a printed circuit board in areas specified by the programmers of the system.  An example of this system is the  MACCS 400.

 Technology varies between the platforms and the valves but essentially they achieve the same result.  The goal is to deposit coating where you want it, removing the issue of masking which is required in batch processing with dip or spray booths.

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Tags: conformal coating, conformal coating equipment, conformal coating machines, MACCS 400, automated conformal coating robot