HumiSeal to showcase new products and service announcements at SMT Nuremberg

Leading manufacturer of conformal coatings solutions, HumiSeal^® has announced that it will use the SMT Hybrid Packaging event in Nuremberg (5th – 7th May 2009) to showcase a number of product and service enhancements. The company has made significant developments in recent months with the extension of its now well established UV40 range as well as the introduction of gel based conformal coating products for use in sensitive areas with connectors and other ‘keep out’ areas. The company has also recently announced over $1 million investment in R&D and compatibility testing facilities and is keen to highlight to visitors to their stand (9-451) the advantages that these announcements can offer as well as details of the recent approval of HumiSeal products by German automotive giant BMW.

The highly successful UV40 product has been expanded to include:

• UV40-HV - A high viscosity version of the standard UV40 product supplied in 55cc syringes for automatic application onto small, high-density, fine line printed circuit boards synonymous in mobile phone and PDA applications where precision selective coating is crucial
• UV40-Solar has been specifically formulated for photovoltaic (PV) applications with enhanced UV stability so that it does not discolour or degrade over time
• UV40-250 is designed to meet the requirements of the demanding automotive industry, primarily for the harsh conditions and extreme thermal cycling to which the coatings are continually exposed. Automotive giant, BMW, has given its approval to this product recognising its unique properties

Other innovations that will be on show in Nuremberg include:

• Information on compatibility testing for customers following a significant $1million investment in its research and development capabilities. The company’s two laboratories based in Taunton, Massachusetts USA and Camberley, Surrey UK will help secure the ongoing development of next generation coating chemistries as well as strengthening the customer support offering.
• Details on the approval of UV40250 and 1C49LV conformal coatings by BMW

David Greenman, managing director for HumiSeal Europe, commented:
“We are going through some challenging times and it is vital that we are able to stay ahead of emerging technologies in this dynamic industry to ensure we can offer our customers a real competitive edge. Our investment in new technology and product research means that we can offer real solutions from across the chemistry spectrum ensuring we continue to supply conformal coatings aligned with modern manufacturing technology and products”.

Leading manufacturer of conformal coatings solutions, HumiSeal continues to establish its position with the announcement that it has developed and introduced a gel version of its highly successful UV40. The company has also announced that following successful application throughout Europe, it will be making its gel version of the acrylic based 1B31 and urethane based 1A33 coatings available to US and Asian customers. These thixatropic versions of existing products lend themselves to applications that require avoiding ‘keep out’ areas on assemblies during selective conformal coating application, as well as sealing connectors to prevent ingress of coating material.

UV40 gel has been specifically formulated for some specialist large scale LED (light emitting diode) applications. One such application is the massive LED displays that can often be seen above stadiums during sporting events. The displays are carried on hot air balloons or blimps where exposure to the elements is severe and yet weight remains an issue. Manufacturers realised that a light weight alternative to hermetically sealed housings was needed for the electronic circuitry but it had to be robust enough to withstand the rigours of extremes in UV exposure, lightening strikes and moisture ingress from rain. UV40 gel is applied in conjunction with standard UV40 product around sensitive areas of the circuit board to increase the thickness of covering. This can be as thick as 1mm, nearly ten times the normal thickness of a conformal coating.

1B31 and 1A33 gels has been engineered to ensure that they do not flow from the point of dispense, a property that some manufacturers find crucial in today’s environment of high board density and reduced real estate. The product has already been successfully used throughout Europe by manufacturers across the industry. The product is lends itself to automated selective coating applications but can also be used manually where necessary. Customers using this gel version have been able to reliably coat components whilst simultaneously avoiding sensitive keep out areas such as connectors.

Phil Kinner, business director for HumiSeal, commented on these new gels:
“Ensuring that conformal coating materials are only deposited where required whilst avoiding other more sensitive areas is becoming increasingly more difficult as technology allows us to design smaller and more densely populated assemblies. By introducing these gel products to the market we can help customers meet reliability and performance targets for the life of the product. The application on the blimps means that the customer now can remove the need for heavy weatherproof housings without compromising performance. These products also allow customers to deploy dam and fill coating techniques around selected components by building a dam of the gel product around the device and then filling with standard conformal coating product”.

Manufactured and available globally, HumiSeal’s range of gel products are the result of its ongoing work in continuously improve and develop sector-specific products that reflect its clients’ needs in a real and competitive world.