SCS Blog
Recent SCS Blogs
Benefits of Automotive Conformal Coatings
Silicone and Parylene coatings are among the best options on the market to protect automotive electronics and components. Silicone coatings are applied by dipping, brushing or spraying, and Parylene coatings are applied by chemical vapor-based deposition (CVD). Advantages of each coating are listed below. Advantages of silicone coatings for automotive electronics include: Impact and shock... Read More >>
Best Conformal Coating for Moisture and Chemical Protection
Conformal coatings safeguard printed circuit boards (PCBs) from performance malfunction caused by contact with elements within their operational environment, including moisture presence within the PCB, altering its thermo-mechanical properties and chemical incursion which can quickly corrode PCB components. In addition to mitigating these specific causes of PCB malfunction, conformal coatings also provide an overlying measure... Read More >>
Safely Removing Parylene Coatings
While conformal coatings are known for reliably safeguarding the surfaces of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and associated electrical components, issues may arise that necessitate their removal. Chemical removal is suitable for wet coating substances such as acrylic, epoxy, silicon and urethane, as it causes minimal damage to PCBs. However, when it comes to Parylene, chemical... Read More >>
How to Estimate Parylene Coating Costs
Often considered the ultimate conformal coating, Parylene is well suited to protect many types of products and devices. Each customer application requires its own detailed and precise process, which means estimating the potential cost of a Parylene coating project is essential. 3 Questions to Help You Estimate Cost 1. “What type of Parylene am I... Read More >>
Parylenes for Biomedical Implantable Devices
Whenever implantable medical devices come into contact with the human body, long-term protection against body fluids, enzymes, proteins, lipids and more is vital. Biomedical surfaces commonly require a layer of protection in order to not degrade in the presence of moisture, chemicals and other potentially harmful substances. A downfall for wet chemistries, e.g., liquid coatings... Read More >>
Parylene Adhesion to Noble Metals
Parylene adhesion can be difficult to manage. Unlike other coatings that adhere to the surfaces they coat, Parylene sticks to itself. This can cause issues when it needs to be applied to smooth surfaces, like areas made of stainless steel or noble metals like gold or silver. Given Parylene’s numerous advantages, investigating methods to enhance... Read More >>
Parylene and Arathane® 5750: Low Outgassing Conformal Coatings
Outgassing occurs when previously adsorbed or occluded gases or water vapor are released from materials. With respect to protective conformal coatings, outgassing encompasses the discharge of gases previously confined within a high-frequency printed circuit board (PCB) or similar assembly material, often resulting in functional difficulties. For instance, outgassing can negatively impact the performance of PCBs... Read More >>
How to Improve Parylene Adhesion
Through the deposition process, Parylene does not adhere chemically, only mechanically, to any given substrate. In order to improve Parylene adhesion for a wide variety of substrates, different methods of surface modification via adhesion promoters must be used. Adhesion promotion methods are typically used before the actual coating process. However, some can be integrated during... Read More >>
Parylene Barrier Properties
Permeation barriers for electronic devices are essential to assure their ongoing performance through a wide range of operational environments. Polymer flexible conformal coatings provide good barrier protection, shielding device substrates from unwanted incursion by solid contaminants, chemicals, gaseous permeation and liquid water or vaporous forms of moisture. Permeability reduction improves with enhanced coating adhesion, minimizing... Read More >>
Common Parylene Problems
In addition to cracking, several associated issues may interfere with the successful coating of Parylene films. Due to its chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, Parylene forms a structurally continuous film covering a PCB or similar assembly. In CVD, the interaction of vapor-phase chemical reactants formulates a non-volatile solid film on a substrate, which is useful... Read More >>
