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Lowering the cost of PCB moisture protection

A 3M Speciality Materials product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Sep 24, 2001

3M has launched Novec coating EGC-1700, to provide a fast and low cost way of protecting sensitive electronic circuits and assemblies against moisture and corrosive chemicals

Novec EGC-1700 dries quickly to form an extremely thin, yet remarkably repellent, light-duty coating.

This new product now makes it viable to apply moisture protection to inexpensive circuits and assemblies, where the cost of most conformal coatings is prohibitive.

The EGC-1700 coating is the latest addition to 3M's range of Novec products.

It is a clear, low viscosity solution of a fluorochemical acrylate polymer coating, diluted in a 3M Novec hydrofluoroether solvent.

The solvent is non-flammable and has low toxicity, zero ozone-depletion and low global warming potential, to provide acceptable workplace safety and environmental properties.

When applied to clean and moisture-free surfaces such as copper, aluminium, ceramics, steel, tin or glass, Novec EGC-1700 dries quickly to create a thin, transparent, protective film with excellent anti-wetting, anti-stiction, anti-migration and anti-corrosion properties.

This new product is easy to apply by dipping, spraying or brushing and will normally dry, at room temperature, in less than 30 seconds, so boards can be handled in under two minutes.

It is generally unnecessary to mask off friction-fit connectors before coating with the Novec EGC-1700 - a major benefit as this will significantly reduce labour costs and eliminate yield losses and rework from masking problems.

In addition, the thinness of the new coating allows solder-through repairs to components and assemblies.

As Novec EGC-1700 can cost less per square foot than other protection methods, it provides a reliable solution for protecting the inexpensive, yet vulnerable, circuit boards, used in automotive, telecommunications and other diverse electronics equipment, which are normally costly to service and repair.

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