Thickness measurement of conformal coatings on printed circuit boards

Conformal coating material is applied to electronic circuitry to act as protection against moisture, dust, chemicals, and temperature extremes. Coatings on assemblies that are too thin or totally uncoated and therefore non-protected board parts could result in damage or malfunction of the electronics.

When electronics must withstand harsh environments and added protection is necessary, most manufacturers of circuit boards coat assemblies with a layer of transparent conformal coating. The coating material can be applied by various methods such as brushing, spraying and dipping, or by selectively coating via robot. Different methods of curing/drying are available depending on the conformal coating material.