Electronics Protection - Winter 2014 - (Page 30)

Contamination AI Technology, Inc Develops Conformal Coatings to Protect Electronics Electronic and electrical devices used outdoors or near the sea require the use of protective coatings commonly referred to as conformal coatings. However, traditional acrylic, epoxy and polyurethane conformal coatings are not hydrophobic and do not provide adequate protection in heavy moisture and are particularly susceptible to degradation in salt-fog environments. Responding to the need for conformal coatings, AI Technology (AIT) has improved its Prima Protect coating line for moisture and salt fog protection. Two chief Prima Protect coatings are CC7090E and CC7130-E. Both products offer moisture, salt fog and even direct immersion protection for electrical contacts, electronic circuits and devices, printed wiring boards, and structures made with metal, wood and plastics. AIT's Prima Protect coatings are molecularly flexible for great adhesion and yet resist abrasion. AIT's coatings have added flexibility to withstand low temperature cracking, fungicide to provide additional protection in submerged environments, and are non-silicone and electrically insulating to not interfere with neighboring electronics. Both CC7090E and CC7130-E are designed to meet all of the IPC CC830 requirements with UV inspection dye and fungi-resistance. Additionally, both coatings can be brushed, dipped or sprayed on and are flexible, hydrophobic and provide protection against corrosion in water, salt water, fog and many other types of environments. Anderson Power Products Offers SB Environmental Boot Anderson Power Products (APP) has updated the SB Environmental Boot series, with the release of their SB50 Environmental Boot. Designed for a range applications both indoors and out, the SB Environmental Boots' soft shell provides water, dirt, chemical and UV protection to SB 50 and SB 120 connectors. This IP64 rated, durable boots shield the connectors from water and dirt in both the mated and unmated condition. Cortec's VpCI 389 Provides Indoor and Outdoor Multi-Metal Corrosion Protection VpCI-389 is an environmentally friendly water-based, temporary coating that delivers multi-metal protection for outside applications and salt-spray resistance. This contemporary coating is a safe replacement for hazardous oil-based products. In indoor long-term indoor protection applications its lasts up to five years and short to mediumterm (six to 24 months) unsheltered outdoor protection. This completely safe and easy to use coating cures to a soft film 30 Winter 2014 * www.ElectronicsProtectionMagazine.com and eventually hardens. It is very efficient in SO2 and H2S environments. The product leaves a translucent, waxy coating that is easily removable, it is low in VOC's and dilutable with water. VpCI-389 can be easily removed with alkaline cleaners, such as Cortec VpCI414. It is available in ready-to-use form - VpCI-389 D (1:1). Metals protected are: aluminum, steels, cast iron, copper alloys and tin plated steel. Traditional coatings rely on sacrificial metals (zinc, chromates, aluminum) for inhibition. Due to the large particle size of these inhibitors, gaps exist that allows corrosion to start and eventually expand, causing coating failure. Cortec VpCI-389 coating uses the patented VpCI technology to protect the metal substrate with a tight bonding molecular structure. This system eliminates the gaps which occur with traditional inhibitors and prevents corrosion from starting. With environmentally safe VpCI technology, the equipment and products will get superior corrosion protection. EE-3200 Encapsulant Expands Dow Corning's Portfolio of Reliability-Enhancing Solutions As the total cost of nonactive materials in solar systems outstrips that of photovoltaic (PV) modules, solar manufacturers are seeking materials able to drive down balance-of-system costs while increasing the efficiency and durability of their products. Against this competitive backdrop, Dow Corning introduced Dow Corning EE-3200 low-stress silicone encapsulant, the latest addition to its portfolio of solutions designed to expand performance and durability of solar micro-inverters, power optimizers and other high value components. Offering a tailored balance of low viscosity, room-temperature cure, low hardness and good thermal conductivity, EE-3200 LowStress Silicone Encapsulant is a two-part silicone formulation that helps minimize processing costs compared to competitive polyurethane encapsulant materials. Unlike polyurethanes, which often require pre-heating before application, Dow Corning's silicone formulation eliminates the pre-heating step and enables electronic assemblies to be filled more quickly. Additionally, where polyurethane encapsulants generally take 90 minutes to cure, EE-3200 offers simple room-temperature cure with the option to reduce cure time to 20 minutes at temperatures of 50° C, further minimizing processing costs. Dow Corning's low-stress encapsulant protects sensitive electronic components against mechanical strain caused by thermal cycling while also providing mechanical adhesion to prevent corrosion from moisture ingress. This improves the reliability, durability, and therefore the value of solar micro-inverters. The components in electronic modules encapsulated with EE-3200 Low-Stress Silicone Encapsulant were exposed to 60 percent less stress in accelerated aging tests, compared to components in modules encapsulated with polyurethane. This indicates that Dow Corning's material can help extend the lifetime of solar installations even under harsh conditions. Its dielectric properties and low viscosity also make it ideally suited for use in today's smaller designs where traditional encapsulants can entrap voids or experience property changes with exposure to humidity. http://www.ElectronicsProtectionMagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Electronics Protection - Winter 2014

Editor's Choice
EMI Compliance: Choosing the Right Shielding and Gasketing
Thermal-Fluid Modeling for Flat Thin Heat Pipes/Vapor Chambers
Increase Rack Cooling Efficiency and Solve Heat-Related Problems
Seven Essential Cabinet Design Considerations for Protecting 19 Inch Electronics
A Better Alternative to Heat Pipes: Integrating Vapor Chambers Into Heat Sinks
Common IP Testing Failures and How to Avoid Them
Enclosures
EMI/EMC/RFI
Thermal
Power
Hardware
Contamination
Industry News

Electronics Protection - Winter 2014