Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1150604
AUGUST 2019 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 27 largely has been on solvent-based materials and not as much with silicone-type fluids. We see silicone fluids more often used in other regions. But as the world becomes a smaller and smaller place, then we will continue to see shifts in the fluids that are being used. The trends in what we're protecting from evolving and dictate fluid types we will be applying. Environmental impact is also a consid- eration; many of the solvent-based materi- als have higher volatile organic compounds (VOCs). And there's an effort to make confor- mal coating a safer and more environmentally friendly process. The equipment needs to han- dle those volatiles and take them away or man- age them. Having a whole system where you can help the environment is also trending and very important. Johnson: So, globally, conformal coatings seem to be trending toward less and less regional variation? Sybert: Potentially. I think the other consider- ation is that we have new and evolving require- ments from our fluids as well. With the intro- duction of gels and two-component materials, we're going to see an emphasis on the coat- ing fluid more specific to what the application itself requires. Johnson: As an equipment manufacturer, what's one of the more exciting new develop- ments in conformal coating that you're look- ing forward to? Sybert: Conformal coating has evolved as a process from "good enough" and "somebody with a spray can" into a much more sophis- ticated, automated process. I am looking for- ward to the significant knowledge gains that we're making with conformal coating and understanding the fluid dynamics behind con- formal coatings so that we can move it to be more of a science as opposed to an art. We want to take this knowledge base and incor- porate it in a way that helps our customers set up their processes faster and more efficiently for better results. We want to elevate confor- mal coating and gain a lot more knowledge on how the process functions and share that expertise. Johnson: And there's a lot of work going on at Nordson ASYMTEK in research and develop- ment as well. Sybert: Yes, we have a strong team of applica- tions engineers all over the world who both contribute to new product development but also are there when customers need their sup- port. And we have some fun activities going on that we're looking forward to sharing with the rest of the world later this year. Johnson: Thank you so much. This has been very productive. Sybert: Nice talking to you. Thanks for includ- ing us. We really appreciate it. SMT007