Xaar and Shifang Technology have joined forces to accelerate the industrial adoption of digital inkjet technology for PCBA conformal coating applications. The partnership combines Xaar’s industrial inkjet printhead expertise with Shifang Technology’s electronics manufacturing and system integration know-how to deliver a more precise, data driven coating process.



PCBA conformal coating plays a critical role in protecting electronic assemblies from environmental hazards such as moisture, salt spray, mould, dust, chemical corrosion and temperature fluctuation. As electronics become more compact and more complex, manufacturers need greater control over where coatings are applied and how consistently they perform across sectors including telecommunications, semiconductors, consumer and automotive electronics.

The solution developed by Shifang integrates Xaar’s UV digital inkjet technology into the conformal coating process, enabling selective coating directly from digital design data without the need for masking. Using Xaar eX printheads, Shifang has developed a high precision functional coating print engine that can accurately control coating placement and thickness across complex PCB layouts. 



By completing coating in a single print pass, the system reduces process steps, manual intervention and material waste, while production speeds are reported to be up to ten times higher than traditional methods. Coating thicknesses from approximately 1 to 50 μm are supported by the technology and can be varied across different areas of the board as required.

Designed for flexible production, the system uses templates generated from Gerber files or image data to support rapid changeover, multiple product variants and small batch manufacturing. Variable width configurations and printhead splicing options enable scaling across a wide range of PCB sizes, from small precision boards to larger industrial control assemblies. 



Xaar’s Ultra High Viscosity Technology, together with TF Technology and Sure Flow Technology, play a key role in supporting stable jetting of conformal coating materials, while reducing the risk of clogging and enabling reliable long run production. The integrated system design, including compact ink supply and the ability for a single control card to drive multiple printheads, further reduces equipment footprint and simplifies integration into space constrained SMT production lines. Precise material deposition minimises overspray and waste, helping manufacturers reduce material usage, VOC emissions and consumable costs while supporting more sustainable production practices.

This latest development builds on previous work between Xaar and Shifang in advanced coating applications, replacing traditional coating methods in EV battery manufacturing with digital inkjet technology, using the Xaar eX Series printheads.
John Mills, Chief Executive Officer of Xaar, said: “PCBA conformal coating is a critical process for ensuring long term reliability in electronic devices. This latest work with Shifang Technology builds on our wider collaboration in coating applications and demonstrates how industrial inkjet is once again delivering the precision, consistency and production stability required for advanced manufacturing in demanding environments.”



Zack Zhang, Founder and CEO of Shifang Technology, added: “This cooperation brings together complementary strengths. By combining our system integration capabilities with Xaar’s proven industrial printhead performance, we have developed a digital conformal coating solution that eliminates masking, improves material utilisation and supports reliable mass production. The close technical collaboration between our teams has accelerated the transition from development to real production lines.”

The collaboration marks a further step in the use of industrial inkjet technology and provides another example of Xaar’s partnership led approach to innovation across a growing variety of advanced manufacturing and coating applications. 
 
www.xaar.com