All about Electronic Assembly Adhesive and how they work

Adhesives are important parts of the electronics industry. As glues for electronic assembly, they provide the needed strong bond that is used to assemble the electronic systems. They are also used to protect the components of the electronic system against possible damage.

 

The growth of the electronics industry

The electronics industry has since evolved and comes with various new developments and products. Due to the advancement of technology, the industry is characterized by sophisticated solutions such as augmented reality headsets, defence telecommunications, computers, digital cameras, medical applications, mobile electronic gadgets, and hybrid vehicles. These products are used in nearly all parts of our lives. Since these products are made of several parts, the use of electronic adhesives is an important part of putting them together.

Adhesives in the electronics industry

There are various types of adhesives used in the electronics industry. An electronic assembly adhesive usually comes with all the elements needed for the product to function optimally. This is a very important bonding agent that plays an important role in putting these components together. An electronic assembly adhesive comes with a wide range of features that help address specific electronic application needs. The adhesives used in the electronics industry have excellent bonds that protect the electronic device against external hazards such as extreme environmental conditions, mechanical shock, corrosion, moisture, heat, and excess vibration. The special adhesives used in the electronic industry also offer important mechanical properties such as UV curing performance, and electrically conductive and thermal properties.

 

Applications of adhesives in the electronics industry

Adhesives play an important role in the electronics industry where they are used for various applications. As industrial glues, they play an important role in the process of assembling electronics. When it comes to achieving optimal performance in the assembly of electrical parts, there are several parameters of adhesives to consider. This includes:

• The adhesive type
• The application method
• The quantity of the adhesive used

 

These are some of the most important attributes of the adhesive that help play an important role in ensuring reliable performance in the assembly of electronic components. Adhesives are pivotal in helping products in the electronics industry achieve optimal performance and durability. They have increasingly been adopted as reliable alternatives to traditional soldering solutions. Adhesives in the electronics industry can be used for various applications such as:

• Wire tacking
• Potting
• Encapsulation
• Conformal coatings
• Bonding of the external plastic housings
• Used to bond heat sinks
• Used to bond SMDs (Surface Mount Devices)

 

Challenges of using adhesives in the electronics industry

The electronics industry is a very diverse field that comes with several thousands of applications and products. Many of these products have their unique adhesive requirements. Since each product comes with its own adhesive needs, electronics design engineers usually find it difficult to determine the specific adhesive needed for a particular application. While they are tasked with this challenge, another problem is to minimize cost. Then again, the selected adhesive will have to be easily applied to the production line to help reduce the cycle time as well as improve product quality and performance. This can be very challenging, however, it is down to the skill and expertise of the team to achieve all of these.

 

Types of adhesives used in the electronics industry

The electronics industry is a big marketplace that incorporates a lot of products. This is why there are several types of adhesives used for the assembly of products. The different types of adhesives used in the electronics industry include:

Electrically conductive adhesives: These are ordinary adhesives with filler materials like carbon, silver, or nickel to make them conduct electricity. There are two types of electrically conductive adhesives. These are anisotropic and the isotropic

Thermally conductive adhesives: Used are adhesives to increase the heat resistance of the component.

Ultraviolet-curing adhesives: These are special adhesives that need the presence of ultra-radiation to cure.

Other types of adhesives: Apart from the main adhesives with special mechanical properties that are used in the electronics industry, there are still other ordinary adhesives that are used. These include:

Cyanoacrylates: This is a one-part adhesive that cures very fast.

Silicon resins: This is more of a sealant that is used for conformal coating as well as an encapsulant.

Polyimides: These are resins that have in-built temperature-resistant properties.

Some important features of the electronic assembly adhesive

The electronic assembly adhesive comes with a wide range of features that are expected to provide maximum results in various ways. These features are important in the electronics industry. They include:

• Thermal conductivity:Electronic assembly adhesives have specific thermally conductive features that make them suitable when bonding PCBs and heat sinks. These are special adhesives that have been engineered to quickly and effectively absorb heat from sensitive electrical components. They are also made to be electrically insulation to avoid short circuits. The adhesives are designed to come with some level of flexibility to help them withstand the different thermal contractions and expansions between the heat sink materials and the PCBs.
• Temperature resistance: The electronic assembly adhesive has been engineered to be able to withstand wave soldering and solder reflow processes. Industrial adhesives have been developed to resist very high temperatures which helps them to match the processing requirements.
• Viscosity:The electronic assembly adhesive comes with a technical viscosity that ensures that electrical components are properly sealed and coated. These adhesives are deployed for encapsulation and potting of electronic devices. When used in the process of conformal coating, the adhesives help to protect vulnerable components and PCBS against environmental damage and vibration. Another important feature of this property is the fact that it helps with the contraction and expansion of the components in the device. This helps to reduce the stress imposed on the fragile circuit.
• Minimize blooming:The electronic assembly adhesive should be able to minimize blooming. This helps it to support rapid wire assembly and tacking, without leaving all components covered in white powdery residue.

For more about choosing the Electronic Assembly Adhesive, you can pay a visit to DeepMaterial at https://www.electronicadhesive.com/about/ for more info.