Labeling Solution Survives The Hostile Environment Of Electronics Manufacturers

Impact Automation, Inc. has helped solve many "hostile environment labeling " problems in markets like the electronics industry. Take a manufacturer of automotive engine controllers, for example. This long-time customer of Impact Automation had a requirement to uniquely identify a circuit board with a bar-code label during the assembly operation.

During final assembly, the board was placed in a plastic housing, with the label facing the inside of the housing. The bar code was the only means of identifying which make and model of car that controller was manufactured for. So, a duplicate label was necessary for the outside of the housing.

Withstanding The Harsh Environment
Prior to final assembly, the board label was scanned, and an Impact Automation PA300 Series printer applicator applied a duplicate label to the housing. This label was required to remain with the housing during its service life. In this case, it means that the label had to withstand the extremes of summer and winter weather, the heat generated by the engine, rain and snow, dirt, grease, oil, brake fluid, and other potentially corrosive materials found under the hood.

A thermal transfer-printable polyester was the label of choice here. It could easily withstand the elements described above. With a high-performance acrylic adhesive and properly matched thermal transfer ribbon and label top coat, it provided the adhesion and abrasion resistance that was necessary. The engineered solution by Impact Automation provided the customer the ability to trace the controller module throughout its service life.

Solving Another Labeling Problem
Another example of a harsh environment labeling solution can be found with a printed circuit board manufacturer. This manufacturer came to Impact Automation with a requirement to uniquely identify bare circuit boards.

As the label was printed and applied with an Impact Automation PA300 Series Labeling Cell, it was immediately scanned and the coded information was sent to a database management system, making the label the board's first component.

However, the problem arises in what happens to the label from this point on.

Labels Encounter Hostile Environment
During the board-building process, the label comes in contact with an extremely hostile environment. This environment includes the soldering process, various cleaning solutions, and high temperatures that can approach 1000oF. Impact determined that these variables required the use of a polyimide label, a high-temperature synthetic material that can withstand the rigors of the soldering process.

Determining Specific Criteria
However, not all polyimide labels are created equal. The chemicals, the temperatures and the time durations at those temperatures dictated the type of adhesive, thermal transfer top coating and matching ribbon that had to be used. If any of those criteria in the process profile changed, the label makeup would also have to change. Additionally, care had to be taken that solder balls did not accumulate at the edge of the label.

After review by Impact's technical staff, a combination of adhesive, top coating and ribbon was engineered. The result was an application that provided the customer with unique board identification able to withstand the rigors of its manufacturing process.