New silicone elastoplastic coating for electronic applications

A new silicone conformal coating resin has recently been developed by Dow Corning Corporation. The principal advantages of this new silicone coating are the improved toughness and the hard, dirt-resistant surface of the cured film while retaining the excellent thermal and electrical characteristics typical of silicone coatings. Silicone coatings have become popular in the electronics industry because of their durability. Although most electronic coatings possess adequate electrical properties, silicone polymers have demonstrated a remarkable ability to retain their physical and electrical properties over wide extremes of temperatures, humidity, and other adverse environmental conditions. In the past, however, silicone coatings were limited to two types. Silicone resins, usually requiring extensive heat cures, have been widely used as coatings and impregnants for the electrical industry. Silicone elastomers have been popular where extreme flexibility and faster cure have been necessary. The new resin has been designed to complete the continuum of available silicone polymers by providing a coating with the toughness and hardness of rigid silicone resins and some of the flexibility and processing advantages of silicone elastomers.