IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries has released IPC-HDBK-850, Guidelines for Design, Selection and Application of Potting Materials and Encapsulation Processes Used for Electronics Printed Circuit Board Assembly.

This new handbook covers a broad range of protective materials for printed boards, providing designers and users with an efficient tool to help select encapsulants for printed board assemblies. IPC-HDBK-850 includes information on choosing, mixing, applying and dispensing for each of the materials listed. In addition, it explains the techniques that should be used when repairs are necessary.

"Nobody has addressed these materials before," said Barry Ritchie of Dow Corning Corp., who chairs the IPC Potting and Encapsulation Task Group. "As circuit technology gets smaller, with technologies like fine pitch and chip on board, conductors are so close that any moisture can cause a failure. Reliability requirements are also changing for many types of products like portables and in high reliability fields like aircraft, military consumer and automotive technologies."

Although product developers have used these protective materials for years without a specification or handbook, Ritchie said having a reference guide will help designers and manufacturing personnel save time because all the information they need is now located in one place.

The handbook is 68 pages long and features more than 50 illustrations to help users better understand the intricacies of the various materials.

IPC-HDBK-850 is available through the IPC online store at www.ipc.org/HDBK-850.