Conformal coating is used on mounted PCBs PCBAs to protect against moisture, dust, chemicals or extreme temperatures that might cause defects if the product was unprotected. The user of conformal coating should be aware of the properties of different coating types and their durability/lifetime in the end use environment for the product.

Typical questions regarding conformal coating:

• What should be protected against?
• What temperatures will the electrical components be exposed to?
• What are the physical, electrical and chemical requirements for the coating material?
• How easy is it to clean off applied coating material?
• How quickly does the material cure?
• What type of process or equipment is needed in order to achieve the required coating quality?

The course is theoretical and will, among other subjects, be focusing on these main topics:

• Design
  • Design for application of conformal coating
• Requirements for materials
  • Coating types and thickness according to IPC-CC-830
  • Characteristics of the coating materials (e.g. viscosity and temperature dependency)
  • Compatibility (with flux, cleaning agents, etc.)
  • Adhesion requirements
  • End user environment
  • Should it be possible to perform rework and repair on the PCB?
• Application
  • Equipment and application methods according to IPC-CC-830
  • Requirements for uncoated areas (e.g. electrical/mechanical contact surfaces)
  • Requirements for coated areas (e.g. curing, uniform application, no voids and cracks, etc.)
  • Qualification and application of conformal coating according to IPC-CC-830
  • Criteria for applying conformal coating according to IPC J-STD-001
  • Maintenance/cleaning of equipment
  • Rework and repair according to IPC-7711/21

• Quality control
  • Visual inspection/inspection with UV light source
  • Criteria for inspection according to IPC-A-610 and IPC J-STD-001
  • Layer thickness
  • Environmental testing according to IPC-CC-830

The course is aimed at production engineers, quality engineers, designers and operators.