What Are Some Waterproof Adhesive Glue Material For Electronics?

Are you eager to discover some popular and reliable waterproofing materials that can be used for electronics assembly? There are a couple of items that can serve as good waterproof material for electronics. In this article, we will look at them, and discuss how you can use them to your advantage.

While this post may not be able to cover all the materials used for waterproofing electronics, it will discuss the commonest options. This article will be filled with relevant information from beginning to end. Highlighted below are some useful things you need to know in this regard.

The Essence of Waterproofing Your Electronics

Many electronic devices are carriers of plenty of tiny electronic components. For instance, a smartphone contains thousands of small electronic components that are connected on a PCB.

Smartphones remain the most intriguing consumer electronics that have been developed so far. But what happens when that powerful smartphone slides into a bucket of water? Your guess is as good as mine. If the phone is intelligent enough, it will shut itself down. Otherwise, you should be making plans on how to buy a new smartphone.

When the environment is dry, electric current can flow interruptedly inside the circuit through the intended paths. But, when water is present on any circuit, it can influence the way current flows in a negative manner. Sometimes it might lead the current to where it is not supposed to be.

In most cases, water can bring about short circuiting inside an electronic circuit, eventually leading to devastating consequences. In other words, that can lead to the complete failure of the device.

Water moisture can accumulate on a PCB overtime and result in short circuit across some conductors. This is why waterproofing PCBs is non-negotiable. It becomes even more important when the electronic applications are highly important.

 

Some of the Popular Materials Used for Waterproofing

As long as it has to do with waterproof material for electronics, highlighted below are some of the commonest materials used.

 

Epoxy

This is the first on our list. It is usually employed as a form of potting material in the electronics assembly industry. In this type of potting, all the PCB is put inside the potting material. The reason for this type of potting is to ensure great strength without compromising the waterproofing feature of the electronic component.

 

Urethane

Urethane is another unique waterproofing material that is used in the electronics assembly industry. Urethane will always be on the cards as the best option when you need a waterproofing material that can provide a bit of flexibility and a bit of mechanical strength.

 

Silicone

If you are looking for another great waterproof material for electronics, silicone is one you can rely on. While silicone may not guarantee the kind of mechanical strength epoxy promises, it is far superior in terms of flexibility. So, whether silicone will be the best fit for your application will depend on what you are doing.

 

Para-Xylylene

This waterproof material for electronics has a unique way of working. It offers a small layer which is used to protect the PCB from the effects of moisture. However, this waterproofing material has a notable downside, and it is the fact that it costs a lot of money to apply it. Moreover, it is only suitable for a handful of applications.

As expected, it is your duty to examine your application to know if it is something that can accommodate this type of waterproofing material.

 

Acrylic

Most electronic components assemblers adopt acrylic for its fast-drying features. It is also easy for you to rework the adhesive if it was not done properly the first time. Acrylic has equally proven to be a reliable waterproofing material in highly humid regions.

 

Fluoropolymer

This waterproofing material is almost on the same level with the Para-Xylylene that was discussed above. Fluoropolymer also provides a small coating that it uses to protect PCBs from moisture. Assemblers prefer it because it does not cost as much as the Para-Xylylene.

 

Choosing the Right Material for Your Electronic Application or Design

All the materials described above are great for providing protection for PCBs. But as you can see, they differ slightly in their qualities and capabilities.

To choose the right waterproof material for electronics, you need to consider factors such as your budget, the kind of product, and other requirements. For instance, acrylic makes sense for many applications because of its low-cost and it can be repaired if anything goes wrong. But if your aim is to apply something that is much more flexible, you may have no choice but to opt for silicone.

Finally, water is not the only thing to be worried about when working with PCBs. PCBs also deal with heat and chemicals after they have been deployed. For such scenarios, you may want to consider using other options apart from acrylic because it does not do well under high temperatures.

When complete protection is required for a PCB, Para-Xylylene will be a wise option. However, the biggest challenge with using this material is that it is expensive.

PCBs with adequate waterproofing materials have a reasonable amount of protection against moisture. The best PCBs have a long service life because they are well protected against water, chemicals, and heat. This automatically translates to better performance and increased reliability within the said time. Customers are happier when they buy products that can last the test of time.

Final Words

From the account of this post, it is clear that many materials are used for waterproofing PCBs. The different Waterproof Material for Electronics have been discussed with their pros and cons. The best option for whatever you are working on depends on a number of factors, including the kind of PCB, budget, and other requirements. Is it worth spending all this money on PCB protection? Without adequate protection, a PCB will be almost useless because it is only a matter of time before it becomes bad.

For more about what are some waterproof adhesive glue material for electronics,you can pay a visit to DeepMaterial at https://www.electronicadhesive.com/ for more info.