October 2009 - Douglas Electrical Components developed back potted epoxy hermetic seals as fast, flexible reliable and low-cost alternatives to expensive standard ceramic or glass seals. The back potted epoxy seals provide a fully harnessed pressure and vacuum sealing solution that can be customized to meet customer needs.DEC can provide fully harnessed back potting solutions that avoid some of the drawbacks associated with generic glass or ceramic connectors, which traditionally come supplied with only solder cups or PCB tails and create potential points of failure. Without a wire harness, these connectors also need additional assembly work, and potential investment in tooling, training, quality control and testing.
With a nimble solution not limited by months of turnaround time, engineers are able to respond more quickly to changes in design.Design engineers can specify from a range of commonly available plastic and metal connectors, from jam-nut and o-ring to wall mount, radial o-ring and others including the accommodation of fiber optic connectors and cables. Today's range of high-performance epoxies has greatly extended the application range of this versatile hermetic sealing option; the DECo epoxy material can withstand pressure up to 15,000 PSI and temperatures ranging from cryogenic to over 350 F.Current application areas for back potted seals include: semiconductor fabrication; HVAC compressors; magnetic bearing enclosures; electrical switch gear; X-ray machines; and military applications.
