Peters, a leading manufacturer of soldering materials, has announced the release of its latest product: Elpemer solder resist SD 2463 FLEX-HF. This high-quality resist is designed for use on flexible electronic circuit carriers, such as rigid-flex and semi-flex PCBs. Available in transparent green and amber, the Elpemer® resist boasts a range of impressive features, including ease of application via spray or screen printing, the ability to withstand direct or contact exposure, and flexibility during installation. In addition, the product is free from harmful SVHC photoinitiators 369 and 907, making it a safe and reliable choice for a variety of applications. Laboratory manager Detlev Schucht claims that the Elpemer® resist is state-of-the-art, with excellent physical and mechanical properties, including high hardness and scratch resistance, that protect the PCB from mechanical damage during handling.

The Elpemer® solder resist SD 2463 FLEX-HF is mainly chosen in the automotive and aerospace sectors. "In addition, the fields of application have expanded to sensor technology and medical technology," reports Michael Kollasa. The head of field sales at Peters presumes that the solder resists will become more important in the field of flexible substrates. Leading manufacturers of demanding flex, rigid-flex, and HDI substrates have chosen the Elpemer® solder resist SD 2463 FLEX-HF for more than six years now. As an example of medical technology, Michael Kollasa cites hearing aids that require multiple folded flexible circuit boards in order to take up a minimum of space. "The bending diameters are very small, down to 1 mm," reports Michael Kollasa.

The highly flexible two-component solder resist developed in the Peters labs is a photo-imageable ink. Thanks to a resolution of < 40 µm (direct exposure) and its excellent dielectric properties, the protective coating is chosen for ultra-fine conductors and in SMD technology, as an alternative to flexible cover foils. The solder resists of this series are applied by horizontal or vertical double-sided screen printing and are aqueous-alkaline developed. "They are characterized by fast and easy processability, low exposure energy, and resistance in chemical baths," says Sven Kramer, head of application technology at Peters. The solder resist shows an outstanding resistance in chemical and galvanic nickel/gold and chemical tin baths, besides OSP processes.

The criterion "free from toxic photoinitiators" is another advantage of Elpemer® solder resist SD 2463 FLEX-HF. "This product is absolutely up to date, reflecting technical progress and meeting international safety standards," emphasizes Sven Kramer, who is also product manager for the Peters Elpemer® family of products at the world's only full-range supplier of coating materials for electronics. According to Sven Kramer, the criterion "without photoinitiator 907 and without other SVHC" is a unique selling point that Peters can claim for itself. "After all, we were the first in the world to present a modern and harmless solder resist for both exposure processes," adds laboratory manager Detlev Schucht.

Following Peters expertise in special coatings, the Elpemer® solder resist SD 2463 FLEX-HF is halogen-free in accordance with JPCA-ES-01-1999 and has good solder bath resistance even with lead-free solder. In addition, Elpemer® solder resist SD 2463 FLEX-HF shows the best flame class UL 94 V-0, UL File No. E80315. This is the registered trademark of Underwriters Laboratories Inc., Northbrook, Illinois, which is the world's most recognized testing authority.