Conformal coating portfolio expanded with solvent-free UL 94 V-0 rated formulation

Henkel has announced the market availability of Loctite Stycast UV 7998, the latest formulation in the company’s line of award-winning conformal coatings. Uniting sustainability, UL 94 V-0 certification, and cost efficiency, the new material answers the market need for exceptional electronics protection at a competitive price-performance ratio. The material is ideal for many applications, including home appliances, lighting, consumer electronics, and automotive.

Conformal coatings are thin polymeric materials applied to PCBs and components and are ubiquitous for electronics applications that need a shield against moisture, dust, chemicals, and other environmental conditions that may limit performance and reduce product lifespan. Loctite Stycast 7998 provides this vital protection while lowering costs and improving safety, health, and the environment with its solvent-free composition.

“Meeting the demands of energy efficiency, mass production, operator safety, cost, and performance while fulfilling challenging certification standards is a difficult balance to strike,” says Henkel Global Innovation project manager Oliver Steinbach, explaining the engineering achievement of the new material. “The aim was to engineer a next-generation conformal coating that delivers best-in-class performance, meets the highest sustainability criteria, and optimises process efficiency. Loctite Stycast UV 7998 has achieved these objectives, bringing the electronics market a conformal coating solution that instils product protection confidence and demonstrates Henkel’s purpose-driven innovation.”

On the processability and performance front, the coating rises above. The material is easily applied, offering self-levelling across the PCB assembly, excellent wetting, and uniform coverage with no voiding. Once coated, curing takes place in seconds with energy-efficient UV light, followed by a secondary moisture cure, after which the PCB is shielded from harsh environmental conditions and contaminants.

Importantly, the coating’s strong attention to sustainability can enable electronics manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40% (versus solvent-containing formulas), prioritise operator health, and realise significant cost improvements. Compared to solvent-based conformal coatings, the VOC-free, solvent-free it needs as much as four times less sprayed volume to achieve a similar thickness. In addition to eradicating environmental volatiles, the material is tin-free, halogen-free, BPA-free, and RoHS- and REACH-compliant.

Emphasising the demonstrable value of this material, Steinbach explains that the effectiveness of Loctite Stycast UV 7998 is already proven in the market. “In the home appliance sector, where reliability, longevity, and warranty protection are critical, we already have tremendous application success,” he says. “This product was designed as a mass market solution for mainstream electronics, complementing our existing conformal coating portfolio and filling a gap not currently satisfied by other materials. Its early adoption suggests that Loctite Stycast UV 7998 has hit the target.”