Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rules of Thumb—Guidelines vs. Principles for PCB Design
Beyond Design: High-speed Rules of Thumb
Global PCB Connections: A Technical Overview of Long-flex Printed Circuit Boards
Resins: Five Essentials to Achieve the Right Cure
December 19, 2016 | Alistair Little, ElectrolubeEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Last month, I looked at some of the critical things you need to consider before selecting your resin, which covered hardness, colour, viscosity and cure time. I do hope readers found this simple back-to-basics guide a useful starting point for further study and consultation. Of course, when it comes to the choice and application of resins, there’s a lot of information to take in, and over the following months I hope to distill this and provide some useful tips and design advice that will help you in your quest for reliable circuit protection.
Right, you’ve now chosen your two-part resin and it’s time to mix the components and get to work, so this month I’m going to turn my attention to the all-important job of mixing the resin (Part A, to use the terminology) and hardener (Part B), taking care that you get the ratio right and that you are conducting this critical part of the procedure under the right atmospheric conditions, and with all due regard for safety procedures. Get the mix wrong at this early stage and you will not achieve a satisfactory cure, which will ultimately lead to all sorts of problems later for the product you are potting or encapsulating. Anyway, continuing the five-point guide format that I introduced last month, here are five things to make yourself aware of before you start mixing.
Mix Ratio
Quite possibly the most critical aspect of resin mixing, which will have long term adverse repercussions if you get it wrong! There are two methods of mixing a resin with its associated hardener: by hand or using specialist dispensing equipment. If mixing by hand, then the ratio of the weight of the two components is the more useful method to employ. If mixing using dispensing equipment, then the volume ratio is used.
If the job is relatively small, then you are likely to use a resin pack, which provides the resin and hardener in precise quantities, in separate compartments of the pack. When you are ready to use the product, you simply remove the clip or other separating device between the compartments and ‘massage’ the resulting pouch, ensuring that both components are completely mixed.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the November 2016 issue of The PCB Design Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rules of Thumb—Guidelines vs. Principles for PCB Design
11/26/2024 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonThe infamous "rules of thumb" are simple guidelines that help you make decisions based on experience, not exact facts. They’re like shortcuts we use because they work most of the time. For example, if you want to know if spaghetti is done cooking, a common rule of thumb is to grab a spaghetti strand and throw it against the wall to see if it sticks. I used to do that, except that instead of the wall, I used the ceiling, which drove my mother crazy.
Indie Semiconductor Extends Automotive Photonics Leadership with Advanced Optical Component Integration Capabilities
11/20/2024 | indie Semiconductorindie Semiconductor, an automotive solutions innovator, has extended its photonics offering with the addition of in-house photonics integration, packaging and system test capabilities.
ASMPT: Highly Flexible Die and Flip-chip Bonder for Co-packaged Optics Production
11/20/2024 | ASMPTThe high-precision AMICRA NANO die and flip-chip bonder has been specially developed for the production of co-packaged optics where which optical and electronic components are integrated in a common housing. With its exceptional process stability and a placement accuracy of ±0.2 μm @ 3 σ, this innovative bonding system is ideally equipped for the communication technology of the future.
Nano Dimension Unveils 3D Printer for Micro Applications at Formnext
11/19/2024 | Nano DimensionNano Dimension, a leading supplier of Additively Manufactured Electronics (AME) and multi-dimensional polymer, metal & ceramic Additive Manufacturing (AM) 3D printing solutions, announces the launch of its Exa 250vx Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D Printer for micro applications. Developed to enable the creation of superior resolution micro parts at high production throughput, the high-speed Exa was unveiled today for the first time globally at Formnext in Frankfurt, Germany (Hall 11, Stand D22).
IPC Introduces First Standard for In-Mold Electronics
11/18/2024 | IPCIPC announces the release of IPC-8401, Guidelines for In-Mold Electronics. IPC-8401 addresses in-mold electronics (IME) technology, providing industry consensus on guidelines for manufacturing processes, part structures, material selection, and production test methods to integrate printed electronics and components into 3D smart structures.