Conformal Coating Evaluation for Improved Environmental Protection, Phase 2

Statement of Work & Project Statement


Background

Conformal coatings are used to protect printed circuit boards and components mounted on them from the deleterious effects of moisture, particulate matter and corrosive gases. Phase 1 of the Conformal Coating Evaluation for Improved Environmental Protection project developed a quick and effective conformal coating test that can be used to test coatings in a shorter time than present methods employed in the industry, resulting in cost savings and faster product introduction. The project team developed a test coupon and a test procedure that is capable of testing conformal coatings in less than a week. In that phase the iNEMI flowers of sulfur (FoS) chamber was used to provide the controlled corrosive test environment. 


Phase 2 Focus

In Phase 2, the team will compare the performance of conformal coatings exposed to the FoS environment to those exposed to a mixed flowing gas (MFG) environment. This comparison is important because, while the FoS environmental chamber is inexpensive, it consists simply of sulfur vapors in humid air, the MFG environment is more complex and well established in the industry for testing electronic hardware for susceptibility to atmospheric corrosion. The test method will be further refined to demonstrate its applicability and establish it as an industry standard for evaluating and qualifying conformal coatings.
 

Presentations

  • “Conformal Coating Testing in Various Test Environments,” presented by Prabjit Singh (IBM), SMTA International 2022 (October 30-November 3 2022)
    paper      presentation
  • End-of-project webinar presentation & recording link (May 25 & June 9, 2022)  
  • “Comparing Various Test Environments for Conformal Coating Evaluation,” presented by Prabjit Singh (IBM), ICEP 2022, Session TD2: Emerging Technologies, May 12, 2022, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan  paper    presentation
  • “Development of a Quick Test for Conformal Coatings,” PJ Singh, presented by Chen Xu (Nokia), Session TU3B, EMPC, virtual conference, September 13-16, 2021.  paper   presentation 
  • Call-for-participation presentation (April 6/7 & 13, 2021)
     

Contact

Haley Fu (haley.fu@inemi.org)