Failure due to condensation

[Vignesh Devadas]

Hello Everyone,

I have a doubt regarding failure due to condensation effect.

The product has a metal cover which is crimped with other parts for protection. So it is not fully sealed.
But the PCB is Conformal coated.

Now is condensation a problem.?
If yes. How to protect the electronic product from condensation during transit.?

Is there special packaging material or should we use silica something like that?

Thank you for your inputs.

 

[davenn]

Hello Everyone,

I have a doubt regarding failure due to condensation effect.

The product has a metal cover which is crimped with other parts for protection. So it is not fully sealed.
But the PCB is Conformal coated.

Now is condensation a problem.?
If yes. How to protect the electronic product from condensation during transit.?

hard to know ?
some photos of the unit showing possible corrosion etc due to condensation would help

 

[kellys_eye]

These should be in the 'homework' section.....

Silica gel is the usual transportation additive. Packed in a temperature controlled atmosphere and into a well sealed box they wouldn't suffer anything the silica gel couldn't cope with.

 

[Vignesh Devadas]

These should be in the 'homework' section.....

Silica gel is the usual transportation additive. Packed in a temperature controlled atmosphere and into a well sealed box they wouldn't suffer anything the silica gel couldn't cope with.

I think they are packed in plastic trays and loaded in small plastic boxes and on top comes a plastic lid. But i don't think they will be transported in a temperature controlled containers as they are not cheap to do so.
Do you have any suggestion for economical packaging which will prevent the condensation ?

Thank you for you reply.

 

[Vignesh Devadas]

hard to know ?
some photos of the unit showing possible corrosion etc due to condensation would help

the product is under development and we haven't got this problem yet. But during the failure analysis, this failure came up. So i'm trying to find a solution to prevent it.

 

[kellys_eye]

How do other manufacturers ship their parts? I don't know (personally) of any issues that 'normal' packaging combined with silica gel packs can't cope with.

You could use temperature-controlled packaging; you could pack them using 'modified atmosphere' packaging machines (usually used for food products); you could vacuum pack them.....

 

[shrtrnd]

Yeah. I suppose cost is the factor here. Humidity items I buy come in the silver, vacuum-sealed bags (these type are specifically for humidity protection, not the typical black-silver ESD bags). The bags physically look like aluminum foil.
I guess I'd ask if you want each device individually protected, or if you can go the route of condensation protection for a case of them?
If the device is expensive, I'd get the best protection I could, if not that expensive the silica gel is most often used.
If this was mine, to ensure protection from condensation, I'd vacuum seal the device in an appropriate bag.
As a side, WHY did failure analysis point to condensation as a potential issue with the device?
Are the shipments going through high humidity climates, or widely disparate temperature fluctuations during transit, or at the final destination?

 

[(*steve*)]

Now is condensation a problem.?

That's the first question you need to answer. And we probably can't do it for you.