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60 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2023 Conformal coatings are all around us. e benefits they offer are discreet but intensely purposeful, as they protect electronic circuitry against harsh environments and help to extend the reliability and lifetime of our devices. We can find conformal coatings in household appliances, white goods, and other electron- ics in and around our homes, as well as in our workspaces, in manufacturing, and other industrial applications. With a surge in connectivity adoption via IoT, smart cities, and smart infrastructure networks, the need to protect electronics in dif f erent de v ice s i s b ecoming inc rea s- ingly important. As dependence on devices increases, protecting the security and physi- cality of electronics is of significant interest to many. is is where conformal coatings can make such a big difference. Protection of elec- tronics is particularly important in the the auto- motive industry, with the range of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and electric vehicles currently available. In this column, I will discuss how conformal coatings can make a difference in electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as other automotive applications, areas where we have seen a vast increase in demand for conformal coatings. A Need for Coatings Coatings are used extensively in diesel and petrol vehicles. Will there be as much of a need for coatings in hybrid or electric vehicles? e rapid adoption of EVs and ADAS, auton- omous driving, and the vast increase in info- tainment solutions in vehicles has created enor- mous demands on the electronics involved in these vehicles. At the same time, the require- ments for conformal coatings are rising. One target, to increase the range per charge of an Automotive Conformal Coating Applications Sensible Design by Saskia Hogan, ELECTROLUBE