Technical Bulletin February

 

 
Setting up a Conformal Coating Dip Facility
 
The set up of a turnkey dip coating facility for
 
companies wishing to coat in house can be
  relatively complicated. Fortunately SCH
Technologies can offer advice and equipment
  such as the DS101 to achieve a perfect
conformal coating dip process with the minimum
 
of effort.
 

  General Requirements for Conformal Coating

The coating room area should be clean and dust
  free since PCBs are susceptible to particles
sticking to the drying coating. The temperature
range should be reasonably controlled within
  sensible limits as this can have critical effects on
the viscosity of the coating materials.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Perhaps even more importantly however, is the
humidity. It is crucial that this is regulated to
maintain a level of above 35% (for ESD reasons)
and below 55% due to moisture issues which can
affect the coating integrity and the application
method.
Extraction will be required if solvent based
coatings are used and bifurcated fans should be
used to ensure that unnecessary explosions are
avoided. Consultation with an extraction
company would be necessary and SCH can
recommend a suitable company for help.
With regards dipping solvents and electrical
points there are no specific HSE rules and
guidelines for the process. The dip system itself is
completely pneumatically driven so avoids any
explosion problems within the system. However,
consideration should be given to nearby
electrical sockets, appliances etc, especially if
solvents are used in the dip coating system.

  What do we provide?
SCH Technologies can offer conformal coating services, conformal coating equipment and Humiseals
  great range of conformal coating materials. We will be happy to answer any of your questions and
we’ve got the experience to solve any of your conformal coating headaches. Don’t hesitate to and
we’ll help to ease the pain of conformal coating.
 
 

  
Dip Conformal Coating Equipment Required
 

A basic conformal coating facility could simply  

be an extracted area, a UV source and the
coating. However, for setting up a Dip Conformal  
Coating Facility that can produce repeatable,
 
high quality results there are several pieces of kit
that will aid the operator and ensure that the
 
best results are achieved. A basic set up could
include:  

 
Dip Coating System: For controllable, repeatable
application of the coating  
to the PCB.
 
Zahn cup kit: For control of the viscosity of
the conformal coating in  
the dip tank.
The Conformal Coating Dip System  
Curing Cabinet: For storage of drying PCBs
after application to ensure The conformal coating dip machine should be
 
minimal contamination from designed to allow controlled dipping of the PCBs  
the atmosphere. which provides repeatable coating application.
UV Inspection For inspection of the Both the insertion and withdrawal rates should be  
Booth: fluorescing coating under adjustable down to 1”/min speed although most
coatings use a range of 6-9”/min. The viscosity of  
long wave UV to ensure
the coating and the withdrawal rate dictate the
coating coverage to IPC A  
final thickness of the dry coating on the board
610 Class III standards or and by knowledge of the two values repeatable
alternatives.  
control of the thickness is possible. A dwell time
should be offered to allow time for penetration of
Solvent Exposure For monitoring the exposure  
the coating under difficult low-profile
Alarm: SEA 500 of the operators during the
components.  
process to ensure that they
The tank itself should be weir driven giving a skin
are alerted of any issues  
free, controllable material height at which to
and a permanent record of
lower the product into the dip tank. There should
the process is created. be a lid on the tank for minimising losses and
 

  effects of contamination. The weir design should

 
make cleaning easy and the tank should be
easily removable to allow ad hoc cleaning or  
replacement of coating.
The system shown is the DS101 Dip Coating  
System.
 

 
SCH Technologies is a Trading Name of SCH Services Limited
  Newburgh Building, McLintock Way, Barnsley, South Yorkshire. S70 6BF
Tel: +44 (0)1226 297711 Fax: +44 (0)1226 297733
www.conformalcoating.co.uk SCH Technologies are ISO9001 and ISO14001certified
 
 

Curing Cabinet

Once coated the PCBs should be stored in a

cabinet whilst the coating dries.

The curing cabinet has four main roles which are:

1. To extract the air around the PCBs to aid
drying and remove dangerous fumes
2. To ensure that the PCB’s are held still and
the coating does not flow
3. To stop the PCBs touching to avoid
damaging the coating
4. To stop any particles in the atmosphere
from settling onto the PCBs and sticking

The system shown is the CC100 curing cabinet.

 

UV Inspection Booth

To inspect to IPC-A -610 standards the operator

needs to use UV lighting.
Also, if there are any finishing requirements to
take place extraction will be required. The
operator has a dark, enclosed area to study the
PCB with the UV lighting intensity maximised using
a UV-transmitting plastic window in the ceiling.
The system shown is the IB100 single inspection
booth.

Solvent Exposure Alarms (SEA)

The SEA range of solvent monitoring detectors

allows operators to be aware of any breaches in
exposure limits. Also, the SEA 500 will data log the
results and ensure that the operators have a
clear record of their exposure. The system shown
is the SEA 500 measurement, alarm and data
logging system.

SCH Technologies is a Trading Name of SCH Services Limited

  Newburgh Building, McLintock Way, Barnsley, South Yorkshire. S70 6BF
Tel: +44 (0)1226 297711 Fax: +44 (0)1226 297733
www.conformalcoating.co.uk SCH Technologies are ISO9001 and ISO14001certified