How can I measure the ppm levels that my workers are exposed to for the conformal coatings?

There are several ways to monitor operator exposure to conformal coatings that take a “snap shot” of typical day including having your staff wearing personal monitoring devices and then having the monitoring devices sent away and analysed. This is an excellent way to accurately identify the risks at that exact time but can be time consuming and very costly. Also, any change in the system, whether that is a change in material, equipment, process or operator action will ultimately mean that you will need to re-test to prove that system is still sound.

 

An alternative is to use large amounts of extraction with your process and hope that this prevents any exposure. However, you are reliant that there are no failures in the extraction & equipment and that your operator does not change the process in any manner.

 

Therefore, the only way to really be sure of the system being safe for your workers is to use a combination of factors.

 

First, set up a process that ensures that the worker is safe within the environment. This is done with adequate extraction, an identified process with boundaries and good staff training.

 

Second, and most importantly, is to continuously monitor the process, recording the exposure to the worker. With new technology, this can be achieved cost-effectively and accurately enough to remove risk to operators using VOC monitoring systems.

Contact SCH for further details or click here for further help.

Conformal Coating Removal and Stripping part of Subcontract Conformal Coating Service

SCH offer a conformal coating strip and removal service for customers who want conformal coatings removed from printed circuit boards (PCBs).

Stripping of unwanted conformal coating from a PCB can be a simple process but depends on what conformal coating is to be removed or stripped, the area of coating to be removed, where the conformal coating is and the type of components on the board.

SCH specialise in removal and stripping of all conformal coatings  including Humiseal 1B31, 1B73, 1R32, 1R32A2, 1A33, 1A68, Electrolube HPA and SCC3 and Dow Corning Silicones such as 2577.

Click for further information on the conformal coating service.

Click for the video for the WS100 Conformal Coating Wet stripping System.

Click for the brochure for the WS100 Conformal coating Wet Stripping system.

Horizontal Dipping with the DS101 Conformal Coating Dip System

The DS101 Conformal Coating Dip System is a precision built, floor standing, conformal coating dip machine for medium to high volume batch processing of printed circuit boards.

Operating completely on compressed air and utilising an air over oil pneumatic system, the DS101 dip coating system offers total precision regulated speed control to allow a wide range of conformal coatings to be correctly coated and an unparalleled repeatable high tolerance of coating thickness to be achieved.

Being entirely pneumatic the machine is safe to use with flammable materials, and the automatic dip cycle process provides a smooth immersion and withdrawal rate which eliminates air entrapment and ensures an even film.

Click here for the conformal coating dip video.

Conformal Coating Inspection FAQs and Technical Bulletins Available

SCH have a range of information & guidance on conformal coating inspection & finishing criteria in the FAQs and Technical Bulletins.