Articles

Specialty Coating Systems* (SCS*), a business unit of Cookson Electronics, announced today that their Parylene conformal coating services and raw materials (SCS Parylene dimers) are compliant with the European Union's Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.

SCS is taking a proactive approach to the RoHS directive, which goes into effect July 1, 2006. The directive mandates that all new electronics products and equipment sold in Europe after this date shall be free of certain hazardous materials including lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium. Other countries, including China and Japan, and individual states within the United States are also initiating similar directives.

"We conducted independent laboratory testing to validate compliance of the SCS Parylenes," said Alan Hardy, SCS Electronics and Automotive Market Manager. "SCS provides Parylene coating services and dimer to manufacturers of electrical and electronics equipment on a worldwide basis through a network of 10 coating facilities. SCS understands the importance and implications of the RoHS directive for our customers and wanted to be proactive in announcing the compliance of SCS Parylene services and dimers well before the July 2006 deadline."

SCS Parylene conformal coatings are thin-film polymer coatings used to protect critical components in the electronics, automotive, military and medical industries. Dimer, the precursor to finished Parylene films, is vaporized and then pyrolized into a gaseous monomer before it is deposited as a polymeric film within a room temperature evacuated chamber. The process does not utilize any solvents or catalysts and no cure forces are needed. The resulting pinhole-free Parylene films offer excellent barrier and dielectric properties, among many other key properties that are attractive to these industries.