Henkel launches new quick drying, toluene-free conformal coating system

Citation

(2008), "Henkel launches new quick drying, toluene-free conformal coating system", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 37 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2008.12937cad.014

Henkel launches new quick drying, toluene-free conformal coating system

Article Type: New materials and equipment From: Pigment & Resin Technology. Volume 37, Issue 3.

As the electronics industry continues to move toward more process and operator-friendly manufacturing solutions, Henkel remains at the forefront of responsible, high- performance materials development. The company's latest advancement in this area is a new toluene-free conformal coating material called Hysol PC62.

Based on the company's popular Hysol PC52 platform, Hysol PC62 is a one component solvent-based acrylic conformal coating that provides environmental and mechanical protection for printed circuit boards (PCBs). Designed as a toluene-free alternative, the product delivers the obvious benefits of a non-toluene material with all of the quick drying advantages of a traditional toluene- based system. In testing against other toluene-free materials, Hysol PC62 delivered drying times as much as four times faster than the closest competitor.

With increasing pressure to eliminate toluene-based conformal coatings, there have been numerous attempts to develop alternative systems. And, as Matt Hayward, Henkel Regional Product Manager for Circuit Protection explains, while there are some other toluene-free options on the market, many of these materials do not deliver the performance advantages required for modern manufacturing conditions. “Formulating a toluene- free material system that offers all of the wetting, fast drying and good dispense capabilities consistent with traditional materials is quite challenging,” says Hayward. “Henkel's knowledge of conformal coating behavior and performance has enabled us to build upon a highly successful, proven platform to develop a robust toluene-free solution. Hysol PC62 offers a fast drying, excellent wetting, toluene-free material with performance in-line with that of other highly successful Henkel conformal coating products.”

Though the electronics industry is slowly shifting away from solvent-based conformal coating systems, the migration will likely be quite gradual as solvent-free, or even water based, materials simply do not offer the ease of use or performance capabilities of solvent-based systems. Hysol PC62 has been specifically engineered for those electronics manufacturers that cannot move to current solvent-free systems but want to eliminate toluene from their manufacturing operations.

Designed for high reliability, Hysol PC62 is ideal for any environment where a PCB will be subjected to harsh conditions, particularly automotive, military, aerospace, industrial and consumer avionics applications. Like the market-leading Hysol PC52, Hysol PC62 is compliant with UL746 and IPC-CC-830 requirements and is ideally suited to application with non-atomized selective spray coating equipment.