Selecting a coating

Thin Film Partners have a full range of chemistries and coatings that cover a large array of technologies and applications.

We have split the coatings out by function to help you to choose a potential coating.

However, we are more than happy to help you select the coating too.

Our different coating materials used in protection include:

If you need help determining which coating you need then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us now.


Moisture, salt, chemical and corrosion resistant coatings

This is the broadest category of barrier/protective films.

Virtually all chemistries and deposition platforms are represented here and applications include industrial, optical, biomedical, consumer electronics, pcb, aviation/aerospace, defense, semiconductor, LED, automotive and marine.

Coatings that protect moisture, salt, chemical and corrosion attack include:

  • Atomic layer deposition (ALD)
  • Fluoropolymers
  • Liquid conformal films
  • Powder coatings

If you need help determining which coating you need then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us now.


Digital display, glass and plastic coatings

Thin Film Partners offers several products for coating digital displays, cell phones, tablets and laptops, glassware and hard-plastics.

These coatings are sub-micron films that protect against scratches, moisture and chemical contamination.

These products are ideal for the consumer electronics industry as well as glassware and extruded plastic products.

  • Atomic layer deposition (ALD)
  • Fluoropolymers
  • Liquid conformal films

If you need help determining which coating you need then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us now.


Hard, anti-abrasion, anti-wear coatings

Hard coatings are designed to be wear resistant. Some are also dry-film lubricants and utilized in industrial applications including gears, bearings, spindles, etc.

  • Liquid conformal coatings (epoxy)
  • Tungsten disulfide
  • Fluoropolumers (Xylan)
  • Powder Coating (Halar)

If you need help determining which coating you need then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us now.


Medical coatings (implants, blades, needles, catheters, wires, etc)

Coatings used in the medical arena are also very broad and include a such diverse products/applications as implants (stents, coils, wires), orthopedic surgical instrumentation, hearing aids, catheters, guide wires, endoscopy/laparoscopy, diagnostics/sensors, medical plastics.

  • Fluoropolymers (LT-4, LT-8, Halar)
  • Nylon

If you need help determining which coating you need then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us now.


Hydrophobic coatings

Coatings that display a low surface energy, most with contact angles (in water) of 90° and above are hydrophobic.

They have the ability to repel liquids (oil and water) and prevent failure.

Super hydrophobic films are those with contact angles of 160° and more.

Hydrophobic materials are typically non-polar and attracted to other chemically neutral molecules and non-polar solvents. The effect here is the creation of water droplets that form tight uniform beads that cluster to form micelles. This low attraction to liquids, especially water, is used commercially to prevent water ingress on printed circuit boards and other electronic parts or assemblies, resulting in added protection and extended life.

There are several coatings classified as hydrophobic. Most of these fall under the classification of fluorocarbon chemistries.

These are deposited through various delivery platforms, from spray or dip, CVD, PVD or plasma systems.

Many require a thermal cure with temperatures in excess of 700°F. Other fluoropolymers are room temperature applied.

  • Low temperature & UV curable Fluoropolymers (LT-4, LT-8, UVX and OPX)
  • Fluoropolymers (Xylan®, ptfe, Teflon®, Halar®, Kynar®, etc)
  • Tungsten disulfide
  • Powder coatings (Halar®)
  • Liquid conformal coatings (silicone SR)

If you need help determining which coating you need then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us now.


Hydrophillic coatings

Some products require increased wettability in order to properly function. Medical instruments like catheters, hyperdermics, canulas and guidewires are excellent examples.

Hydrophilic surface coatings make polymeric devices susceptible to fluids by grafting polymers that help to bind water onto the material.

Hydrophilic surface coatings can be either permanently or transiently hydrophilic, depending on the permanence needed for different materials.

They may also be able to conduct fluids over or through the material according to the substrate properties.

The following are hydrophilic coatings:

  • Plasma modified polymer surfaces
  • Conversion coated metal surfaces
  • Coating films containing Pyrrolidine
  • Coatings containing Hyaluronic acid (HLA)

If you need help determining which coating you need then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us now.


Dry-film lubricants

Dry film lubricants are coatings materials which, in solid phase, are able to reduce friction between hard surfaces.

The main dry lubricants availlable are graphite, tungsten and molybdenum disulfide (WS2 and MoS2). They offer lubrication at temperatures higher than typical liquid and oil-based lubricants.

Dry lubricants are often used in applications such as mechanical bearings, gears and CV joints.

The coatings can operate up to 350 °C (662 °F) in oxidizing environments and even higher in reducing / non-oxidizing environments (molybdenum disulfide up to 1100 °C, 2012 °F).

The low-friction characteristics attributed to dry film lubricants are a function of a layered structure at the molecular level with weak bonding between layers. These layers can then slide relative to each other with minimal applied force, giving them their low friction properties.

  • Tungsten disulfide

If you need help determining which coating you need then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us now.


Non-stick coatings (mold release coating)

There are numerous coatings and treatments that can prolong tool life or add performance for molds, such as lubricity for easier resin flow and release.

  • Tungsten Disulfide
  • OPX
  • UVX

If you need help determining which coating you need then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us now.


Particle (sub micron) coating

Particle coatings or films are applied at the micro or Nano-scale level.

Normally applied via atomic layer deposition (ALD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques, the coating chemistries are limited to those that can accommodate sub-micron thickness.

With the CVD process, The limitation is typically the problems associated with tumble process and clumping.

With the ALD delivery platform, the choice of coating is more extensive and includes: oxides, nitrides, sulfides and some metals.

The aspect ratio can be 5,000:1 or more. The coating is measured in angstroms and does not require tumble processing to achieve a consistently uniform layer.

  • ALD

If you need help determining which coating you need then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us now.


Autoclave resistant coatings

Several customized options exist, including laminates .

Please call or contact us for recommendations.

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Drug-Eluting

Thin Film Partners and staff have a long history working with drug-eluting primers for the medical industry.

If you need help determining which coating you need then please don’t hesitate to ask.

Contact us now.