Tag Archives: conformal coating service

conformal coating pcb

Why Conformal Coating Services Are Essential for Long-Term PCB Reliability

In today’s electronics-driven world, protecting printed circuit boards (PCBs) from environmental damage is critical to maintaining long-term performance and reliability. A professional conformal coating service adds an essential layer of protection that helps PCB assemblies withstand moisture, chemicals, dust, salt spray, vibration, and extreme temperature changes. Industries such as aerospace, automotive, medical devices, telecommunications, and industrial automation depend on conformal coating to extend product lifespan and reduce costly failures in the field.

At Board Assembly, our Conformal Coating Service provides a protective polymer film that carefully conforms to the contours of the PCB and its components. This thin but highly durable coating forms a barrier against corrosion, electrical shorts, and environmental contaminants that could otherwise damage sensitive electronics. By sealing and protecting circuitry, conformal coating helps ensure that electronic products continue operating reliably even in challenging environments such as humid climates, manufacturing plants, marine applications, or outdoor installations.

Conformal Coating SprayConformal coating is typically applied after high-quality PCB fabrication and SMT assembly processes are completed. Integrating coating into the full assembly workflow helps manufacturers improve overall product durability while maintaining strict quality standards. Proper masking techniques ensure that connectors, switches, test points, and other critical areas remain accessible and functional. During the application process, coatings are carefully applied using methods such as spraying, brushing, or automated selective coating systems. After application, curing processes allow the coating to harden and form a strong protective layer without affecting the performance of the electronic components.

There are several types of conformal coatings available, each designed to meet different environmental and operational requirements. Acrylic coatings are commonly used because they are cost-effective and provide good moisture resistance while remaining easy to repair or remove if necessary. Silicone coatings perform well in high-temperature environments and offer excellent flexibility, making them ideal for electronics exposed to thermal expansion or vibration. Urethane coatings provide strong resistance to chemicals and solvents, which makes them suitable for industrial and automotive applications. Parylene coatings, often used in medical and aerospace electronics, provide an ultra-thin yet extremely durable protective layer applied through a specialized vapor deposition process.

Beyond protection from environmental hazards, conformal coating also improves product reliability and reduces long-term maintenance costs. By preventing corrosion and contamination, manufacturers can significantly lower the risk of electrical failures, product recalls, or warranty claims. This additional protection is especially valuable for electronics used in mission-critical applications where equipment downtime or failure can have serious consequences.

Another important benefit of conformal coating is that it allows electronics to be used in more demanding environments without redesigning the entire circuit board. Products intended for outdoor installations, marine use, transportation systems, or industrial facilities often rely on conformal coating to maintain consistent performance under harsh conditions.

At Board Assembly, the conformal coating process is carefully controlled and inspected to ensure complete coverage and proper curing. Quality checks verify coating thickness, adhesion, and overall protection so that every assembly meets strict performance standards.

If your products must operate in challenging environments, a professional conformal coating service can significantly improve reliability and longevity. Contact Board Assembly today to learn how our PCB fabrication, assembly, and conformal coating solutions can help protect your electronics and ensure dependable performance for years to come.

Conformal Coating Spray

Adding Acrylic Conformal Coating to Your Printed Circuit Boards

Acrylic resins (AR) are single component materials. To specify, they are preformed acrylic polymers that are dissolved in a solvent to be applied to surfaces. One main benefit of using an Acrylic conformal coating service on your electronics is it provides an excellent barrier to moisture/humidity and have good fungus resistance. They also have minimal chemical resistance which makes it ideal for reworking and removability.

Acrylic Conformal Coating can be easily applied with a brush, sprayed or by dipping.  For smaller batch productions, such as prototyping, hand brushing is commonly.  For those large batch groups, spraying the coating on is best because it gives you an accurate control of coating. Dipping is achieved by placing the assembly into a vat of the coating.  This procedure is also well suited for small batches.

No matter where your electronic device is meant to be used, chances are high that there is at least one major atmospheric threat that can harm the delicate circuit boards within.  Conformal coatings made of acrylic resin (AR) are very popular choice because it protects printed circuit boards (PCBs) and other electronics from corrosion, dirt, dust, fungus, moisture, and thermal shocks.

Acrylic conformal coating currently makes up 80% of the market. The purpose of conformal coating is to protect the sensitive circuits in your device so that it can live longer and work better. What kind of threats does conformal coating protect against?

Moisture and Humidity

Moisture is a printed circuit board’s worst enemy. It can easily fry the circuit board, rendering it inoperable. Conformal coating may not be able to protect your device from a torrential downpour or a drop in the toilet, but it can resist humidity and condensation.

Dust

Dust can easily clog up a printed circuit board, especially due to electrostatic attraction. Conformal coating shields the inner workings of a circuit board from dust.

Heat and Cold

If your electronic device is meant to be used outside, then it will have to be able to withstand the sizzling highs and bone chilling lows of the environment. Conformal coating can protect against temperature extremes.

At Acme PCB Assembly, we offer a variety of different conformal coating options for our customers.  Acrylic conformal coating in Los Angeles.

Contact us today to learn more.

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Conformal Coating Service

Why apply conformal coating?

Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) is the core of everyday life as most electrical devices can not function without one. From everyday life to military and medical situations, a PCB must be able to withstand the wear and tear of time and other elements. Conformal coating is designed to protect Printed Circuit Board (PCB), and related equipment from their environment. Typically applied at 0.001 inches to 0.003 inches on the PCB. It is a protective nonconductive dielectric layer that is applied to the assembled printed circuit boards to protect the electronic product from damage due to contamination, salt spray, moisture, fungus, dust, and corrosion caused by the harsh or extreme environment.

Solder Mask on Printed Circuit BoardsACME PCB Assembly happens to offer three different kinds of conformal coating for our valuable customers. The acrylic conformal coating is a low viscosity coating that is cured through drying and isn’t too resistant to chemicals but hardens quickly. The Urethane conformal coating is also a low viscosity coating, however, is cured through crosslinking with strong resistances to chemicals. Silicone conformal coating is a very viscous coating that is applied through swirl technology with high chemical resistances.

Below is a graph that shows the characteristics of the conformal coatings ACME PCB Assembly provides.

Acrylic conformal coating Urethane conformal coating Silicone conformal coating
Viscosity Low Low High
Typical applicator technology Film coating Film coating / Swirl Swirl
Curing Drying Crosslinking Crosslinking
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Yes Yes No
Chemical resistance Low High High
Thermal span Low Low High
Glass Transition Temp Low Low N/A
Repairable Solvents Solvents & Mechanical.

 

May result in stratified coating after repair.

 

Solvents & Mechanical.

 

May result in stratified coating after repair.

 

Call 310-715-1898 or email steve@acme-pcbassembly.com for a free quote.