NPI Services offers a variety of conformal coating materials that can be applied to an assembled electronic circuit card, or even bare PCB if desired. For prototype builds, it’s best not to conformal coat until the assembled board has been thoroughly tested. Removal of conformal coating, depending on the material used, can be problematic when component rework is required.
Conformal coatings are designed to form protective barriers over finished electronics assemblies to protect them against extreme environments, electrical leakage, and exposure to moisture, salt, temperature fluctuation, fungus, dust, and other environmental hazards and contaminants.
One of the most important considerations for PCB conformal coating is ensuring that the coating is compatible with your design goals. The coating must meet your assemblies’ requirements and be the most efficient solution for your project. NPI’s coating specialists offer adaptable, case-by-case variations to guarantee that your conformal coatings are the ideal match for your specific needs.
NPI’s Parylene (Polyparaxylylene) coating services and case-specific adaptability are second to none, but simply coating your sensitive assemblies is not enough.
It is critical that conformal coating be:
• Compatible with all components on the PCA or PCB being coated
• Applied to a clean and properly prepared surface
• Appropriate for the environment to which it will be exposed
• Reliable and durable to extend product life
• Cost-effective, re-workable protection
Each and every assembly to be coated is visually inspected, and, if needed, assemblies that do not meet specifications for surface cleanliness are thoroughly cleaned. Custom plasma processes are used to clean the boards so that each PCB conformal coating will be uniform. After the coating has been applied and has cured, each coated assembly is rigorously inspected to ensure quality.
NPI offers a variety of Parylene (polyparaxylylene) coating services. Parylene coating offers many advantages over wet-process or dip-process conformal coating for certain applications in the medical, military, electronics, aerospace and automotive industries among others. Parylene coating delivers a much thinner film than other coating processes, allowing assemblies to be thoroughly coated without increasing their size. Parylene coating offers extremely high chemical resistance and superior electrical properties that make it adaptable for nearly any project. The vapor deposition process that is utilized, allows parylene coatings to be uniform in thickness and completely pinhole free. Parylene coating services ensure complete conformity, coating the entire assembly and leaving no areas open to exposure.
In medical applications, parylene is ideal because it is the only conformal coating material that can be safely implanted in the human body. Parylene is biocompatible, with a long-tested history and no risk of complications. Parylene is one of few materials approved for FDA Class 6 specifications. NPI offers coating services using both parylene C and parylene N, the most commonly used parylene coatings for medical applications.
NPI’s conformal coating specialists can apply the following materials:
Type AR (Acrylic)
Type ER (Epoxy)
Type SR (Silicone)
Type UR (Polyurethane)
Type XY (Parylene)