Protection solutions for automotive applications

Under-hood automotive electronic assemblies are subject to extremes of temperature, chemical attack from volatile fuels, lubricants and salt mist atmospheres, as well as high levels of mechanical shock and vibration. A high level of protection is therefore required to ensure the reliable operation of critical automotive control and safety-related components. Electrolube has undertaken extensive research in this area and can offer a strong portfolio of protective resins and thermal management materials that have become products of choice among the world’s leading automotive electronics manufacturers.

Selected examples of these materials will be shown at SMT Hybrid Packaging, including two high-performance resins: Electrolube's ER2225 high temperature black epoxy resin and the UR5041 black flame retardant polyurethane resin. In addition, Electrolube will demonstrate the excellent properties of its thermally conductive TCP400 gel/putty, which offers a very practical solution for applications that require thermal transfer on vertical surfaces.

ER2225 is a high-temperature, black epoxy potting compound suitable for the encapsulation of electronic assemblies or components such as sensors. It offers excellent resistance to a wide range of chemicals and fluids and is capable of continuous exposure to temperatures ranging between -40 and 180°C, while tolerating short excursions to 210°C. Offering a thermal conductivity of 1.1W/m.K, ER2225 flows freely around components in an assembly during application to ensure complete coverage without voids.

UR5041 is a two-part black polyurethane encapsulation and potting compound formulated to cope with the most challenging of operating environments. Its high toughness and resistance to tearing mean that it offers excellent physical protection to the encapsulated electronics, while providing good adhesion to most substrates. Primarily developed for marine applications requiring exceptional resistance to seawater, this resin is ideal for the encapsulation of automotive sensors that are exposed to salt spray from treated road surfaces. The resin will reliably operate between temperature extremes of -60 to 125°C.

TCP400 is a single-part, easily dispensable thermally conductive putty with a novel formulation that enables reliable coverage of vertical surfaces. Offering excellent heat transfer performance, it is a soft, pliable material, exerting minimal stress on delicate electronic components. The low modulus elastomer offers excellent ‘pump-out’ resistance and minimal oil bleed; it requires no pre-mixing and is ideal for automated dispensing applications.

GF600 is a two part, liquid silicone based gap filler, which provides excellent thermal performance and can becured at room temperature or accelerated with heat. After curing, GF600 forms a low modulus elastomerpreventing the ‘pump-out phenomenon’. The low viscosity gap filler is easy to dispense and is soft and compliant for low stress applications. With high thermal conductivity of 6.0 W/m.K and a wide operating temperature range from -50 to 200 °C, the flame retardant GF600 is ideally suited to filling gaps and air voids,  even in the most delicate of devices with minimal stress.

Visitors to SMT Hybrid Packaging 2018 can come and meet and discuss their particular needs with the Electrolube team in Hall 4 of the Nürnberg Messe.