Electrolube to Launch New Bio Coatings, Gap Fillers at IPC APEX EXPO

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, a global supplier of integrated solutions from our Circuitry, Assembly and Semiconductor divisions that provides unmatched capabilities in electronics design and manufacturing, will showcase pioneering new protective solutions for electronic circuitry from Electrolube at this year’s IPC APEX EXPO, held at the San Diego Convention Centre, CA, from 25-27 January. During the show, Electrolube, MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, will demonstrate its advanced technical capabilities to the US market by launching a ground-breaking new bio coating, the first of its kind globally, and a highly thermally conductive new gap filler. These new solutions help manufacturers speed up production, increase reliability and lifetime of products, and improve their environmental credentials.

Electrolube’s new UVCLX bio coating is an unrivalled eco-friendly innovation that will transform the conventional use of coatings by the global electronics community. The first-to-market UV Cure Coating Xtra is formulated with 75% bio-organic content from renewable sources and is one of Electrolube’s most versatile, high-performance coatings yet for protecting electronic circuitry against the harshest of environments. Applied via a selective coating machine, UVCLX exceeds traditional UV Cure Coatings, being touch dry after just a short exposure to LED-365nm UV light. UVCLX guarantees full cure in less than 24 hours by virtue of the secondary chemical cure mechanism, which ensures that even shadowed areas are fully cured in a matter of hours. UVCLX performs in stark comparison to traditional UV Cure Coatings, that can require weeks at a time for a complete cure, and still with some shadowed areas remaining uncured. Inevitably, UVCLX enables a reduced level of work in progress.

Optimally applied at between 200-350µm, the new bio coating achieves excellent edge coverage, even over sharp components, and the highest levels of protection, even during temperature cycling and thermal shock, vastly out-performing other UV coatings on the market, even in the harshest environments. UVCLX offers exceptional performance due to its hydrophobic nature, which ensures it provides excellent protection against moisture, salt mist and even full immersion for short periods. This immersion period can be extended by applying the coating more thickly.

Electrolube will also showcase the new GF600 two-part, liquid silicone thermal gap filler, supplied in a 50ml duo cartridge. GF600 provides excellent thermal performance and can be cured at room temperature or accelerated with heat. After curing, GF600 forms a low modulus elastomer, preventing the ‘pump-out phenomenon’. The low viscosity gap filler is easy to dispense and is soft and compliant for low stress applications. With extremely high thermal conductivity of 6.0 W/m.K and a wide operating temperature range from -50 to 200°C, the flame retardant GF600 is ideally suited to filling gaps and air voids,  even in the most delicate of devices with minimal stress. Designed to provide greater stability than traditional thermal interface materials, the GF600 flows into all the voids and small gaps that are present at an interface between two substrates, allowing for minimal bond line thickness and minimal thermal resistance at the interface. GF600 also remains more stable over many thermal cycles.

During the course of the show, two of Electrolube’s senior representatives will be participating in the technical conference sessions. Phil Kinner, Global Business and Technical Director for Electrolube’s Coatings Division, will present the paper ‘Conformal Coatings: State of the Industry Versus State of the Art’ on Tuesday January 25th from 10am-12pm at S04, EM1. Beth Turner, Electrolube’s Senior Technical Manager and Resins Specialist, will present the paper entitled ‘Bio-Based Encapsulation Resins: Good for The Environment, Good for Your Environment’ from 8-9.30am on Thursday January 27th at S28, EM4.

Visitors to IPC APEX EXPO are invited to meet the Electrolube and members of the MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions team at booth 2121. It is an ideal opportunity to find out more about the over-arching solutions and Electrolube’s innovative approach to providing effective protective solutions. Electrolube offers a wide range of electro-chemical products, which include thermal management, encapsulation resins, conformal coatings, contact lubricants, service and maintenance aids and cleaning solutions. 

For further information, please visit http://www.electrolube.com.

Check out these additional content from Electrolube:

• The Printed Circuit Assembler's Guide to… Conformal Coatings for Harsh Environments by Phil Kinner (a free eBook available for download)
• “Coatings Uncoated!” a free micro webinar series
• You can also view other titles in our full I-007e Book library here.