Parylene Alternatives

Depending on a customer’s application needs, a liquid conformal coating might offer the best alternative to Parylene. The first step in determining which conformal coating to use involves identifying the standards to be used and the customer’s desired protection goals.

Some of these alternatives—as well as their overall advantages—include the following:

• Acrylic conformal coatings are a viable alternative in applications where moisture protection is the primary focus. Acrylics offer excellent moisture protection and have an advantage of being easier to work and rework. Long-term, it is not advisable to switch from acrylics to another conformal coating if your product will be subjected to solvents of any kind as acrylics typically do not have strong protection against solvents.
• Silicone conformal coatings are on the opposite end of the spectrum from Parylene in thickness attributes. Silicones are applied anywhere from .002” to .008” while Parylene is generally applied .0005” to .002”. This added thickness can help products sustain operation in environments with large, rapid shifts in operating temperature.
• Urethane conformal coatings can be used for applications that require a rigid coating to meet certain abrasive tests. Urethane is a harder coating and has the highest chemical resistance of any conformal coating, aside from Parylene.

A global network of coating centers ready for your application.

Specialty Coating Systems offers customers regionally-located coating facilities to handle their engineering and production requirements. To discuss the benefits and properties of conformal coatings and your protection needs with an applications specialist, contact us or call +1.317.244.1200.