Conformal Coating & Potting Services for Reliable PCB Protection

As electronics become more deeply integrated into everyday products, protecting sensitive components from environmental stress has never been more critical. At Odyssey Electronics, we deliver advanced conformal coating and potting services that shield printed circuit boards (PCBs) from moisture, dust, chemicals, and extreme temperatures. Whether it is industrial electronics operating in harsh conditions or medical devices requiring extended, reliable runtime, our team provides tailored protective solutions that extend product lifespans and reduce field failures.

With over 30 years of experience, Odyssey Electronics delivers 100% US-based PCB assembly services, offering true turnkey solutions built around your project's needs. From initial design and surface mount technology (SMT) through automated optical inspection and final protective coating, we manage every stage of your project in-house.

That level of control, combined with our commitment to quality assurance and precision at every step, allows us to manufacture circuit boards that meet the highest industry standards, giving engineers and product buyers confidence from prototype to production.

What is Conformal Coating, & How Does It Protect Your Printed Circuit Board Assembly?

Conformal coating applied to a printed circuit board assembly

Conformal coating is a thin layer applied directly over an assembled PCB to guard against environmental stressors like moisture, chemicals, dust, and temperature extremes. This protection is essential for electronics operating in demanding conditions; think industrial and commercial equipment, military systems, and outdoor or field-deployed technologies, where exposure is unavoidable.

Precision application matters as much as the material itself. Coating is applied only after a board has cleared quality inspection and full electronic testing, ensuring the protective layer goes onto components already verified to perform. For applications demanding a higher level of protection, potting offers a step further. It fully encases the assembly in a solid or semi-rigid compound to guard against shock, vibration, and direct fluid exposure where surface coating alone is not sufficient.

Partner with the Conformal Coating Experts at Odyssey

Our experience in PCB assembly spans over three decades, giving us the expertise to meet the needs of engineers and product buyers alike. Beyond conformal coating, we offer advanced technologies like surface-mount assembly, thru-hole assembly, automated optical inspection, superior quality control, and turnkey solutions.

Surface Mount Technology

Our SMT lines provide precision component placement, enhancing the efficiency and performance of your PCB assembly.

LEARN MORE

Wave Solder & Selective Solder

We offer wave solder and selective solder for high-density connections in complex electronic component designs.

LEARN MORE

Turn-Key Assembly

Our end-to-end turnkey services cover everything from design to end-point delivery for a seamless experience.

LEARN MORE

Advantages of Conformal Coating & Potting for PCB Assembly

Whether you need circuit boards to withstand moisture and salt on oil rig equipment or corrosive chemicals inside an industrial plant, our solutions can safeguard your devices. Conformal coating offers a protective barrier that shields your PCBs from elements like moisture, dust, and chemicals.

In situations where equipment faces extreme weather, like a satellite, potting adds even more protection by fully encasing components, making them highly resilient in any environment. Our technology keeps your electronics running smoothly, regardless of where they are deployed.

Frequently Asked Questions About Conformal Coating & Potting

1. What is the difference between conformal coating and potting?

Conformal coating applies a thin acrylic film over an assembled board, shielding components from moisture and contaminants while keeping the board serviceable for future repairs. Potting goes further, fully encasing the assembly in a solid or semi-rigid compound for maximum resistance to shock, vibration, and direct liquid exposure — at the cost of easy access later.

Both approaches are applied only after a board has cleared quality inspection and full electronic testing, so the right protective method is chosen for a board that is already verified to work.

2. What conformal coating material does Odyssey Electronics use, and why?

Odyssey applies Humiseal 1B73, an acrylic-based coating known for fast cure times, flexibility across a wide temperature range, and dependable resistance to moisture and contamination. It is one of the most widely specified materials in the industry for exactly these reasons.

Just as important is reworkability. If a component under a coated area needs repair, technicians can remove the coating from that spot, service the part, and reapply protection without disturbing the rest of the board. That matters for products likely to need field servicing or programs still working through design revisions.

3. What environmental conditions and threats does conformal coating actually protect against?

A properly applied coating defends a board against a wide range of failure causes, including:

Moisture and humidity, which drive corrosion, shorts, and delamination
Chemical exposure from industrial fluids and cleaning agents
Dust and airborne particulates settling on exposed traces and components
Salt spray in marine, coastal, or offshore deployments
Thermal cycling that stresses solder joints over time
Fungal growth in persistently humid conditions

For boards headed into any of these environments, coating is one of the lowest-cost ways to prevent expensive field failures.

4. Does every PCB design need conformal coating?

Not necessarily. A board living inside a sealed, climate-controlled enclosure may never see the moisture, chemicals, or temperature swings that coating is designed to guard against, so it is not always specified.

That said, industries where failure carries a high cost tend to require it as a default rather than a case-by-case decision: see Military Electronics, Medical, and Alternative Energy for examples of the exposure risks driving that standard.

5. Can a coated board still be reworked if something fails after deployment?

Yes, but only if the coating material was chosen with rework in mind. Odyssey's Humiseal 1B73 acrylic coating is selected specifically because it supports this: a technician can strip coating from a targeted area, replace or repair the affected component, and reapply the coating cleanly.

This is a meaningful consideration for engineering teams designing products that will need field support, or for programs still iterating on a design after boards have already gone through turn-key assembly.

6. What are the main types of conformal coating, and how do they compare?

The three materials most commonly specified in PCB assembly are:

Acrylic: Fast curing, flexible, and easy to rework; the most commonly specified option for general-purpose protection.
Silicone: Excellent high-temperature performance, but difficult to rework once fully cured.
Urethane: Strong resistance to chemicals and abrasion, though it cures more slowly than acrylic.

Odyssey standardizes on acrylic (Humiseal 1B73) for the balance it strikes between protection, speed, and serviceability.

7. Which industries typically specify conformal coating for their PCB assemblies?

Any product deployed outside a fully controlled environment is a candidate. Odyssey builds coating and potting into assembly programs across:

Each of these sectors faces a different mix of exposure risk, from shock and moisture in field equipment to chemical contamination in lab and clinical settings.

8. Does Odyssey's conformal coating process meet industry quality standards?

Yes. Coating applied at Odyssey meets the acceptance criteria defined in IPC-A-610, the industry benchmark for electronic assembly quality, and for defense-related work, assemblies also meet Class 3 workmanship requirements — the highest tier IPC defines.

This is backed by facility-wide ISO 9001:2015 certification, detailed in Odyssey's Quality Manual, which covers coating and potting alongside every other stage of production.

9. At what stage of the assembly process does coating get applied?

Coating is one of the last steps, applied only after a board has been fully built and verified. The typical sequence looks like:

Component placement via SMT and, where needed, thru-hole technology
Soldering, including wave solder or selective solder processes
100% automated optical inspection and X-ray verification
Electronic testing to confirm functionality
Conformal coating or potting, applied only to verified, defect-free boards

Coating a board before it is confirmed to work would mean reworking a sealed assembly if a defect turns up later — so Odyssey holds it until the end of the line.

10. Is conformal coating available as part of a full turnkey program, or is it a separate add-on?

It is built directly into Odyssey's turnkey assembly services rather than offered as a standalone finishing step. Component sourcing, SMT assembly, testing, protective coating, and final delivery are all managed under one roof.

For programs with ongoing production needs, Odyssey can also warehouse finished inventory and ship directly to end customers or distribution points. Teams weighing coating vs. potting for a specific application can contact Odyssey to talk through material options and how they fit the production schedule.

Protect Your PCB Investment with Odyssey's Conformal Coating & Potting Experts

Harsh environments should not dictate the lifespan of your electronics. With over 30 years of 100% US-based PCB assembly experience, Odyssey Electronics delivers conformal coating and potting solutions engineered to withstand moisture, chemicals, thermal stress, and vibration to protect your investment long after it leaves our facility.

Every board we coat has already passed through our full in-house process, from assembly and automated optical inspection to rigorous electronic testing, so protection is applied to assemblies verified to perform. Whether your product is destined for military, medical, or industrial environments, our IPC-compliant coating and potting processes are built into a true turn-key assembly program, not bolted on as an afterthought.

Ready to protect your next build? Contact Odyssey today to discuss which coating or potting solution fits your application, timeline, and reliability requirements. Our team will walk you through material options and show you why engineers trust us for durable, long-lasting PCB protection.