Rehm and Electrolube: Coating Made Easy

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Thermal systems maker Rehm Thermal Systems and chemicals supplier Electrolube are partnering to ensure optimum results during jetting, dispensing, spraying or curtain coating of PCB assemblies.

"When two specialists combine their knowledge, it's a win-win situation for everyone. Especially for users who use Electrolube protective lacquers on Rehm conformal coating systems," says Michael Hanke, head of sales at Rehm. This ensures the highest precision with short cycle times in the continuous production process and guarantees the perfect coating result at the end.

The cooperation between material and machine is the logical consequence if the highest demands are placed on quality, precision and reliability. "The combination of expertise from both companies forms the basis for successful development of the partnership. Since the entire market environment is developing very dynamically, we are constantly researching new and even better protective coatings," says J.S. Stingl, conformal coating adviser at Electrolube.

One of the key issues in the electronics assembly industry nowadays is the growing demands of the automotive industry, where previously, relatively slow temperature changes were common during hardness tests, transitions from hot to cold are now carried out within seconds.

"The devil is in the circuit boards and their components," explains Stingl. Some lacquers are too brittle and may crack when exposed to temperature shocks. This makes the underlying electronics susceptible to moisture penetration. In extreme cases, small soldered components can also be torn off the circuit board during the tests.

"This does not happen with our acrylic protective lacquer APL-SP. It hardens but stays flexible, which effectively prevents cracking. The flexibility of the coating also ensures that the solder joints of small components such as chip resistors or ceramic capacitors are not destroyed in the event of thermal shock and remain securely fixed to the circuit board. Cracking is not an issue here either. Due to its short drying times and the fast throughput that can be achieved, it is widely used in the automotive industry. It meets the high demands placed on temperature shock tests," states Stingl.

Meanwhile, the Protecto coating systems from Rehm are used for the protective coatings. They were developed to meet the demands for highest quality, stability and productivity for automatic in-line coating tasks. The system is just as flexible as the lacquer.

"From all-in-one lacquer to highly selective coating, we can meet all requirements," says Bernd Marquardt from Rehm Product Sales.

This reliably protects sensitive electronic assemblies from damage by corrosion or other environmental influences such as humidity, chemicals or dust. There are numerous areas where circuit boards are constantly exposed to dirt or demanding environmental conditions. Fields of application range from offshore wind farms through shipbuilding, military hardware, telecommunications, medical technology, industrial control and automotive systems to electronics in private households.

About Rehm Thermal Systems

As a specialist in thermal system solutions for the electronics and photovoltaics industry, Rehm is a technology and innovation leader in state-of-the-art, cost-effective manufacturing of electronic assemblies. As a globally active manufacturer of reflow soldering systems with convection, condensation and vacuum, drying and coating systems, functional test systems, equipment for metallisation of solar cells as well as numerous customised systems, we have a presence in all key growth markets and, as a partner with more than 25 years of industry experience, are able to implement innovative production solutions that set new standards.