Why Conformal Coating is Essential for PCB Reliability

Apr 27,2018

Today, printed circuit boards (PCBs) are used in almost every technical application. These circuit boards are coated with different materials, which protect them in harsh environments and allow them to deliver good performance consistently. Conformal coating is one such coating done over PCBs, which helps protect the electronic circuits. It is basically a chemical coating, or a thin polymeric film, which conforms to the PCB shape. This coating or film is generally applied at 25-250µm. The conformal coating is being used widely in many PCB design applications. Interested to know why? Read the following post, which explains the several benefits of using conformal coating, which is actually the reasons behind their popularity.

What are the Reasons behind the Increasing Popularity of Conformal Coating?

There are a number of reasons that explain the benefits of using the conformal coatings on PCBs. Here are some major reasons behind the popularity of these coatings:

1. Enhance Dielectric Properties: The use of conformal coating has a direct impact on the dielectric properties of a printed circuit board. The dielectric strength between the conductors is improved significantly by using these coatings. This enables a manufacturer to create compact PCBs.
2. Extra Protection from Damage: Often, during construction, or installing various components on a PCB, the board can get damaged. This can lead to the components experiencing thermal shock and mechanical stress. This is avoided by coating the PCB with conformal coating.
3. Resistance to Chemicals & Heat-resistant: When a circuit board comes in contact with or is exposed to potentially harmful chemicals and solvents, it can get degraded. Also, its performance might get affected at certain temperatures. By using conformal coating, it makes the printed circuit boards heat-resistant and helps provide a good resistance against chemicals. Thus, the effect of degradation can be reduced, or eliminated.
4. Excellent Insulation Property: This is yet another beneficial feature of applying a conformal coating to a printed circuit board. This coating is generally applied as a protective lacquer. This offers an extremely efficient and high-quality insulation to the PCB. This helps slow down or reduce its degradation, which is a result of daily use and different environmental conditions.
5. Resistance to Moisture: When a circuit board is exposed to the humid environment, or moisture, then it can lead to electromechanical migration, leakage currents, crosstalk and other issues. Conformal coatings are highly resistant to moisture and humidity, and thus its application protects the PCBs from any damage due to these two factors.

All these benefits make conformal coatings extremely reliable. They protect PCBs from premature failure, and help improve their performance in various harsh environments.

Where are the Conformal Coatings Used?

The several benefits of conformal coating make them ideal for use in a wide range of applications, such as:

1. Military
2. Automotive
3. Aerospace
4. Medical
5. Industrial

All the beneficial features explained above make conformal coating the most preferred and a hot favorite in the PCB industry. However, it is always advisable to approach an experienced service provider in these coatings. This will help you in getting your printed circuit boards coated with a good quality conformal coating. There are many companies in the US, which can help you design PCBs with conformal coating. However, very few among them can ensure good quality coating. Creative Hi-tech Ltd. is one such experienced company, which you can trust.