Potting and sealing electronics with silicone

How silicones can help protect and ruggedize electronics?

Electronics are everywhere, it was true before, we now need them in almost every situation of our daily life in transportations, handheld digital devices, displays, smart lighting systems, ECUs or electrical grids. These technologies all use a wide array of components – sensors, actuators, central processing units (CPUs), printed circuit boards (PCB), etc. – that need to be protected against environmental hazards such as dust or moisture, as well as fluids, heat and fire exposure. Silicones are the materials of choice for potting and encapsulating sensitive components, as they are the best front line of defense against outside aggression. 

Elkem Silicones offers a broad range of silicone rubbers and gels within the range of CAF™ RTV-1 and Bluesil™ ESA RTV-2, which are recommended in electronic applications to ensure mechanical and environmental protection.

The wide acceptance of silicones in the electronics industry is due to several technical and mechanical properties including: 

• Mechanical strength
• Dielectric strength
• Moisture resistance
• Low modulus to protect internal stress
• Damping properties
• Environmental resistance
• Excellent adhesion if needed
• Flame resistance, UL 94 flammability
• Optical clarity or Thermal resistance over a wide range of temperatures

Silicones, because they are stable, ensure that your electronics components are safe in terms of electrical insulation, adhesion, temperature and fire resistance. They are durable and reliable materials, extending your electronic components’ lifecycle, allowing devices to last longer and eventually reducing landfill waste.

Main applications where silicones are the best candidate to protect your electronics components include:

• Potting electronics using Bluesil™ RTV-2 (Room Temperature Vulcanizing) gels and paste for solar modules, junction boxes, power electronics, IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors), sensors, CPUs, etc. 
• Optically Clear Potting provide High transparency in the UV-visible wavelength associated with outstanding optical stability make Bluesil™ ESA 7250 A&B and ESA 7255 A&B series an excellent candidate for encapsulation of a variety of LED (Ligh Emitting Diodes) device designs.
• Encapsulation CAF™ (RTV-1) and Bluesil™ RTV-2 products for various components on PCBs.

 

Elkem Silicones supplies tailor-made, low-volatile, low-viscosity silicone gels to meet your specific requirements for high thermal conductive, electric conductive or sensitive electronic applications. Thanks to our global presence, supply-chain services, our design and process experts available worldwide, you will benefit from an outstanding technical support to help you find the silicone potting and encapsulation solutions that meet your and your end-user’s needs.