Electrolube Launches New UV Cure Conformal Coatings at IPC APEX EXPO

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Electrolube has announced the launch of seven new generation UV cure conformal coating products at the upcoming IPC APEX EXPO 2019, which takes place from January 26 to January 31, at the San Diego Convention Center in California. The exciting new UVCL range of UV Cure Conformal coatings is expected to take the US market by storm. Senior management from the company’s US operation in Texas, HK Wentworth America, Inc, and Electrolube’s senior technical team, will be available to discuss the advanced new UV cure coating range, as well as encapsulation resin and thermal management solutions, with visitors in booth 2201.

Electrolube’s brand new UV cure coatings are designed to offer the highest level of protection for electronic circuitry with an exceptionally fast processing time. The range features UVCL, a single component, medium-low viscosity dual cure coating with secondary moisture cure, for complete cure in shadow areas. Available in 5L packaging, UVCL is VOC-free, non-flammable and demonstrates excellent electrical properties. The coating provides a wide operating temperature range and is ready to use for selective spray application.

UVCL-P is the Plus version of UVCL. It is a transparent, flexible coating which is extremely resistant to thermal shock.  The main benefits of UVCL-P are the improved coverage and protection achieved, along with a guaranteed chemical cure in 6 hours thanks to its unique secondary cure mechanism. Selectively applied at 50-150 microns thickness, the plus version will always afford a higher level of condensation protection than UVCL when sprayed at the same thickness. UVCL-P has a higher maximum operating temperature of 150°C and meets the requirements of UL94V-0 at thicknesses below 150 microns and can be cured with either 365nm LED lamps or ‘D’ bulb microwave technology.

Electrolube have also developed an ‘xtra’ version of UVCL, called UVCL-X, which shares the benefits of UVCL-P with excellent resistance to thermal shock, immediate board handling with a guaranteed chemical cure in 6 hours thanks to the unique secondary chemical cure mechanism and exceptional coverage and protection. Reflecting its environmental credentials as well as increasing the ease of inspection, UVCL-X is a green-opaque coating that can be applied at up to 300 microns and has a higher maximum operating temperature of 150°C. It is a highly flexible coating that demonstrates excellent thermal conductivity 0.7 Wm-1K-1 for significantly improved heat dissipation. The coating is also UL746 qualified and meets the requirements of UL94V-0 at thicknesses below 300 microns. 

Further UV Cure coating products, also featuring secondary moisture cure, will be launched at the show and include a brand new film coating product, UVCL-FC, which enables the application of even thinner coatings and faster curing line speeds.  UVCL-FC is a low viscosity, fast-curing UV formulation for rapid processing. The company will also showcase a new UV cure coating specifically for LED applications. The UVCL-LED coating is also a low viscosity coating that enables rapid cure with low energy 365nm LED lamps.

UVCL-HV is a high viscosity UV curable material, designed to provide better coverage of component leads and exposed metal surfaces during dispensing applications and Electrolube’s UVCL-Gel is a no-flow gel version of UVCL, designed for sealing connectors and other areas that must not be coated. 

Ron Jakeman, managing director of Electrolube, comments, “In order to meet the different requirements of electronics, LED and automotive manufacturers, we have invested in finding solutions to speed up production with ever higher levels of performance. The new UV cure coating range is an unbeatable range of conformal coating materials and we are very excited about launching the new range to the US market. The UVCL range is solvent-free, VOC-free and provides unsurpassed performance in harsh environments, including resistance to cracking during thermal shock cycling. The main benefit of Electrolube’s UV Cure coatings is that boards can be handled immediately, with full cure guaranteed within 6-12 hours due to the chemical secondary cure mechanism. If we examine existing UV cure systems on the market, the majority require minimum moisture secondary cure times of 8-14+ days, whereas the new UVCL range facilitates tremendous reductions in the amount of Work In Progress.”

About Electrolube

Electrolube, a division of H.K. Wentworth Limited, is a leading manufacturer of specialist chemicals for electronics, automotive and industrial manufacturing.  Core product groups include conformal coatings, contact lubricants, thermal management materials, cleaning solutions, encapsulation resins and maintenance and service aids.

The extensive range of electro-chemicals at Electrolube enables the company to offer a ‘complete solution’ to leading manufacturers of electronic, industrial and domestic devices, at all levels of the production process. Through collaboration and research, the company is continually developing new and environmentally friendly products for customers around the world and their commitment to developing ‘greener’ products has been endorsed by the ISO 14001 standard for the highly efficient Environmental Management System in place at the company.

Winners of the Queen’s award for Enterprise 2016, Electrolube is represented in over 55 countries with an established network of subsidiaries and distributors. By offering genuine security of scale and a reliable supply chain, the company is able to deliver a truly tailored service.