Conformal coatings are just one method of circuit board protection available to engineers. Those involved with PCBs may be familiar with the terms encapsulation. Encapsulation is a tremendously powerful method to secure and protect PCBs by submerging them in a protective material.

Shadowed or hard-to-reach areas beneath high-profile PCB components or high-density boards where a conformal coating may flow, and relative to light curing, may not be exposed to the curing light from above.

Contrary to what most people think bubbles are not material related, bubbles are mostly caused by process related issues. Yes, it is true that the conformal coating contents would influence in having more or less bubbles. Solvents will definitively generate bubbles if the process is not properly set but that is not all!

UV curing of conformal coatings can appear to be a complicated topic, however, a few simple steps will help to correctly set up your production process.

The dyne level, often expressed in dynes/cm (dyn/cm), is a measure of surface energy, with higher values indicative of a material's wettability.