DfR Solutions and Electrolube Partner to Study Conformal Coatings Cracking Defects

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DfR Solutions announced that it will be participating in a joint research study examining the cracking defects of conformal coatings with Electrolube, the established global manufacturer of specialist electro-chemicals. 

A significant number of electronic designs, driven by the explosive growth of automotive electronics and Internet of Things (IoT), are increasingly incorporating conformal coatings in an attempt to mitigate the risk of corrosion and environmental test failure. However, incompatibilities between the coating, the design and the environment can result in cracks or tears in the conformal coating, consequently reducing or completely eliminating the effectiveness of the coating. This is especially true when using UV-cured coatings and performing thermal-shock qualification testing. The joint study will involve a thorough, detailed investigation of over 3000 samples, including artificial ageing and characterization, over the course of 6 to 9 months.

Phil Kinner, Electrolube’s Global Business Director of Conformal Coatings, said, “Electrolube is among the world’s foremost experts in the formulation and application of conformal coatings. As a direct result of our extensive knowledge and experience with conformal coating chemistry, Electrolube has a robust understanding of this phenomenon, and by teaming up with DfR Solutions and its unrivaled physics-based Sherlock Automated Design Analysis™ tool, we are excited to extend complete reassurance and confidence to our customers in selecting the most appropriate coating, early in the design process.” 

Craig Hillman, CEO of DfR Solutions added, “Many of our customers, especially in the automotive and avionics industries, use Electrolube coatings and we are very motivated to work closely with them, to develop a robust solution to this increasingly challenging problem.”

DfR Solutions’ Sherlock Automated Design Analysis Software is the first-of-its-kind for analyzing, grading, and certifying the expected reliability of products at the circuit card assembly level. Based on the science of Physics of Failure or Reliability Physics, it is used by the electronics industry across all markets, allowing users to manage increasingly complex analyses faster and more efficiently than ever before. The dynamic collaboration between DfR Solutions and Electrolube is expected to produce fascinating conclusions to give global electronics manufacturers the full, informed advantage of increasing the long-term reliability of their end-products. 

Electrolube’s Managing Director, Ron Jakeman, comments, "Working closely with DfR Solutions is further evidence of Electrolube’s commitment to the markets we serve. The detailed analysis of over 3000 samples is a vast undertaking, which we are more than adequately equipped to fulfill, particularly with the Sherlock Automated Design Analysis Software. We have always rigorously examined our coatings in our in-house thermal shock chamber and testing laboratories, to ensure that we deliver the best electronics protection formulations available today. However, collaborating with DfR Solutions will enable us to offer customers an even greater insight into how environments impact on the long-term performance of assemblies.”

About DfR Solutions

DfR Solutions has world-renowned expertise in applying the science of Reliability Physics to electrical and electronics technologies and is a leading provider of quality, reliability, and durability (QRD) research and consulting for the electronics industry. The company’s integrated use of Physics of Failure (PoF) and Best Practices provides crucial insights and solutions early in product design and development and throughout the product life cycle. DfR Solutions specializes in providing knowledge- and science-based solutions to maximize and accelerate the product integrity assurance activities of their clients in every marketplace for electronic technologies (consumer, industrial, automotive, medical, military, telecom, oil drilling, and throughout the electronic component and material supply chain). For more information regarding DfR Solutions, click here.