RAYMING PCB & ASSEMBLY

How to Waterproof Your PCB ?

When we design a PCB board, it is inevitable that we have to face the

problem of a wet environment, such as the rainy days or steam in the

factory. Under this kind of situation, the circuit board will easily get

damaged. In the past, we had to pay great attention to the design of PCBs

and use waterproof material and special processing technology to make it

waterproof. However, the complex process and high cost have made the

PCB sales price higher than others. Nowadays, there are many kinds of

techniques with high reliability to make a PCB board waterproof. We can

use them to replace traditional methods.

Table of Contents

How to Waterproof Your Electronics or PCBs:

It is always suggested that the PCB boards should be protected and stored

in a dry place. It is a great idea to put the PCB boards in the sealed bag.

Thus, PCB boards will not be affected by water and will not get wet even if

it rains hard outside.

There are many ways to waterproof PCB. We can choose one according to

our needs.

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1.Apply waterproof material on PCB board

This method is used for very special purposes, such as making PCBs for

control systems of ships or submarines, etc. In this way, you can add some

special material on the surface of the PCB board to make it waterproof,

such as Parylene C or Parylene N, etc. In fact, Parylene C and N are the

same material. They are both high-density polymers, which can be made

into thin layers. Generally, they are in liquid form when we apply them on

the PCB boards. They will be solidified after a certain time, and become

waterproof. The thickness of Parylene C is around 2 mils (0.05mm), which

is much smaller than that of traditional varnish (such as epoxy resin). If

you need to make your PCB board waterproof, you can choose Parylene C

or Parylene N as your material.

2.Use Waterproofing Material to Seal up the Connectors

If you want to make a waterproof PCB, but not for special purpose, you

can choose to use waterproof materials to seal up the connectors. The

connectors are mainly used for connecting the wires and other

components, such as wires, terminals and sensors. The connectors will be

in contact with water directly when they are in use. If they are not sealed

up carefully, the water will penetrate into your PCB board. When it

happens, your electronics or PCBs will be damaged easily.

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3.Apply special waterproof paint to the PCB board

If you need to make a waterproof PCB but you do not want to use special

materials, you can use some paints. They are usually used as a protective

layer. It is easy for you to apply them on the surface of the PCB board. The

main purpose of these paints is to protect the surface of the PCB board

and make it smooth. However, they can be applied on the PCB board

with high quality and low price. If you choose this method, it is suggested

that you should select the best waterproof paint for your PCB board.

There are many kinds of waterproof paints on the market, but they are

not all reliable and efficient enough.

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Which application process is better? Dispensing, manual spray,

or dipping?

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PCB circuit board waterproof coating

1.Dispensing

This application process is the most commonly used to paint PCB boards.

In this process, paints are stored in a hopper and then pumped into a gun.

The paint will be sprayed onto the PCB board with the help of a spray gun.

2.Manual Spray

This process is similar to dispensing, but manual spray can be used when

you do not have a special painting machine or there are many different

PCB boards for painting, which cannot be painted by dispensing. It is

better to use manual spray rather than dispense method if you can

because manual spray allows you to paint with high precision and makes

the surface of PCB board smooth.

3.Dipping Process

In this process, the PCB board will be dipped into the paint tank to be

coated. It is a common process in the industry. However, it is really not

recommended for you to use the dipping process when you are making

PCB boards and electronics, because PCB boards should have some

thickness. If you dip your PCB boards into the clear coat, most of the clear

coat will stick on the surface of the PCB board and some will remain in the

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paint tank. This will result in uneven PCB coating of clear coat on the PCB

board.

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Every PCB has an Achilles heel: water. Is there a solution

beyond conformal waterproof coatings?

The conformal waterproof coating is known as one of the most useful and

popular materials used to protect PCB boards. It is a thin, elastic,

protective material that can be sprayed on the PCB board to make it

waterproof. It can be used to protect PCBs in many different

environments. However, in spite of its wide application, conformal

waterproof coatings have some problems. They are not effective enough

to protect PCB boards under certain circumstances. Generally, there are

two main reasons for this situation:

1.The conformal waterproof coating cannot effectively prevent water from

penetrating into the PCB board because of its low adhesion strength.

2.Even if the conformal waterproof coating can prevent water from

penetrating into the PCB board, it will be damaged in a wet environment

or when the environment is too corrosive.

In the past, PCB manufacturers just used conformal waterproof coatings

to protect their PCB boards. They did not have any other solution, and

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they did not find another way to solve this problem. That is why they

always had to pay attention to the design of the PCB board and

use special PCB materials to make it waterproof.

I Use Waterproof Enclosures. Why Do I Need Conformal Coating?

Conformal coating is not the same as an enclosure. However, you will use

enclosures if you need to make your electronics waterproof. The

enclosure is used to protect your electronics from water and air. It is like a

tent that can protect your electronics or PCBs from water, air, corrosive

gases and other harmful factors.

Generally, conformal waterproof coatings are sprayed on the surface of

PCB board to make it waterproof.

So which one do I need?

1.If you want to make your electronics or waterproofing circuit boards,

you will need both conformal waterproof coatings and enclosures for sure.

If the environment is too corrosive or wet, it is recommended that you

should use both of them together. In some cases, you will need to make

your electronics or PCB boards waterproof only. In this case, you can use

conformal coatings without enclosures. You can use conformal coatings

for PCB protection against moisture in wet environments and corrosive

environments. It is highly recommended that you should use conformal

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coatings to protect your electronics or PCB boards in wet

and corrosion environments.

2.If you have a special purpose for making a waterproof PCB, you do not

need to use conformal waterproof coatings at all. For example, when you

are making PCBs for the control system of a ship or submarine, etc., there

is no need for these kinds of materials because it is not allowed that water

penetrate into the control system which can cause the ship and

submarine to sink.

There are many ways to waterproof circuit boards or your electronics. You

can choose one according to your needs. If you need to make your

electronics or PCBs waterproof in a wet environment, it is recommended

that you use a conformal coating first, and then enclosures. In this way,

your electronics or PCBs will be well protected, not only from water but

also from corrosion and other harmful factors.

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How do you test or check if the coating is on the surface?

There are two common ways to check if the coating is on the surface or

not.

1.The first method is to test the surface with some other types of coatings

such as epoxy resin or silicone. If you use the above types of coatings, they

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will not stick onto the surface of your PCB boards if the surface is coated

by conformal coating application.

2.The second method is to use alcohol spray and then see if there are

water droplets on your PCB board. If there are water droplets, it means

that your PCB boards are coated by liquid conformal coating.

Does the applied thickness impact conductivity?

Normally, if you use too much conformal coating application, it will make

your PCB board more conductive. However, it depends on the thickness

and type of materials you use for making your liquid conformal coating. If

you use high-quality materials with good electrical conductivity, it will not

affect the conductivity of your PCB board.

Are there disadvantages for a surface that has been over-applied or

applied to be too thick?

When you apply too much conformal coating materials, your PCB board

will not be able to have effective heat dissipation and electricity efficiently.

It will result in a huge heat dissipation and electricity which is very harmful

for your electronics or PCBs.

Do you need to apply conformal coating on solder terminals?

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You can spray the terminals with conformal waterproofing coating, but it

is not recommended because it can cause some problems such as short

circuit, poor conductivity, etc. The solder joint is mostly used in electronics

and PCBs to connect components together. It is actually not an electronic

component itself. The solder joints are never covered by any conformal

coatings. If you apply conformal coatings to the solder joints, the

conductivity will be decreased and it will cause poor performance of your

electronics or PCBs.

You also need to pay attention to the weight of the PCB board. If you apply

too much conformal waterproof coatings on the surface of PCBs, it will be

heavy and unbalanced. The heavy and unbalanced PCB board may cause

failure in the process of assembling.

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