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Potting Compounds: Protecting PCBs in Harsh Environments

Potting compounds are a crucial part of PCB assemblies, protecting the individual components as well as the board as a whole from a variety of environmental conditions, such as temperature, moisture, dust, and more. Specialty compounds also offer general protection from contaminants and corrosion, helping to maintain the performance of the PCB for many years to come. And at Broadview, we’ve developed several specialty anhydrides for use in the formulation of potting compounds, as well as our own potting compound, the HIGHTEMP 221, used in military and defense electronics.

The Importance of using a Potting Compound

Once a PCB is put together, it then needs to be insulated against the elements, as well as other parts of its larger system that could damage it through temperature or vibration. A potting compound or encapsulation is one way to protect PCBs. These insulators are poured into the PCB enclosure, filling and sealing any cavities and more importantly pushing out the air and any contaminants it might hold. The potting compound offers an additional layer of electrical insulation and thermal protection for the components within, while protecting the PCB from moisture, chemicals, dust, pressure changes, and a variety of other conditions. Thanks to potting compounds, many electronic devices can function in everything from the regular environment of everyday life to extremely harsh environments that they typically wouldn’t encounter.

Broadview’s Potting Compound: HIGHTEMP 221

Broadview Technologies’ HIGHTEMP 221 resin is a single-component epoxy system that is pre-formulated for customers. All they have to do is melt and pour the resin, and then let it cure, with no need for additional additives, hardeners, or catalysts, and without fear of damaging the components due to incorrect formulation. HIGHTEMP easily withstands internal stresses, vibration, and temperature, and has proven successful both in the lab and in real-world electronic systems.

Broadview has also developed a number of specialty anhydrides for use in formulating encapsulation and electrical potting compound products. Epoxies cured with our anhydrides offer excellent thermal stability, electrical properties, and general durability. We have dozens of anhydride products, so if you’re looking for something in particular, check out our Product Directory for the full list.

Interested in learning more about Broadview’s products?

Broadview Technologies, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of anhydrides, plasticizers, flame retardants, and other products, with a long history in material science innovations. Head over to our website to learn more about what we have to offer.

The Future of Specialty Plasticizers is Resoflex

Broadview Technologies, in partnership with Cambridge Industries, developed a line of plasticizers designed to improve material handling properties for the purpose of manufacturing. Now, Broadview is in the process of developing the next generation of Resoflex plasticizers which will enable high-performance, environmentally sustainable polymer solutions for the industries we rely on every day, like construction and transportation.

Resoflex: Plasticizers for Real World Applications

The original Resoflex R-296, R-560, and R-804 products were developed to exhibit extremely high stability and resistance in virtually any environment. They proved unaffected by a myriad of conditions, like extreme temperatures on either side of the scale and other outdoor threats such as UV light, atmospheric changes, and various corrosive elements. Resoflex also showed superior resistance to oils, fats, grease, and gasoline, making them excellent for use in indoor and outdoor coatings and coverings, food packaging materials, laminations, nylon coatings, lubricants, fabric coatings, leather finishes, adhesives, and much more.

The Next Generation of Resoflex

The next generation of Resoflex polymeric plasticizers are ideal for water based and starch based adhesives used in food packaging and personal hygiene applications. Like the original Resoflex, these plasticizers are also excellent for many different needs of the construction industry where long term toughness and water resistance are desired. They are unique in their ability to be dispersed in water yet resist leaching out even when wet. And, they do not stain or seep into food packaging paper, ensuring the safety of the products within.

The chemistry of our Resoflex product line is based on succinate and adipate linear polyester chemistry manufactured to have uniform high molecular weights with zero VOCs. The polymers are entirely saturated to ensure stability as well as environmental and user safety, even in the toughest conditions. Our Resoflex products continue to be some of the most versatile plasticizers in the world, and we will continue to provide updates as we develop the next generation of these plasticizers.

Interested in learning more?

If you’re interested in Broadview’s line of plasticizers or any of our other products, head over to our website to contact a member of our team.

Top Innovations in Epoxy Resins for Outdoor Power Equipment Casting

Electrical equipment and the outdoors rarely go well together. From ever-changing weather conditions to constant abrasion from dirt, dust, wind, rain, and UV rays, outdoor power equipment and electronics are always under barrage from the elements. However, much of our country’s infrastructure relies on outdoor power equipment to maintain its functionality even in harsh weather conditions.

At Broadview, we’ve developed a wide range of products that are used in the casting of power equipment and electrical potting for outdoor applications. Several of our specialty anhydrides are excellent additives for epoxy resins in these situations. They provide high durability and resistance to a variety of environmental conditions, while insulating and protecting the electrical components within. Our goal is to protect our customers’ electrical equipment, provide high performance potting compounds, and reduce maintenance costs in the long run.

AC-32: Broadview’s Dianhydride for Epoxy Resin Curing and Electrical Castings

Our product AC-32 and its derivative AC-3205 are solid dianhydrides used in curing epoxy resins for electrical casting, potting compounds, and transfer-molding compounds. Its unique chemical makeup offers superior heat resistance to other additives as well as low-moisture permeability–excellent qualities for equipment that will be used outside. The AC-32 products also enhance the thermal shock resistance of the underlying substrates, while offering excellent abrasion resistance as well in a variety of environments.

HHPA/MHHPA: Specialty Anhydride for High-Performance Electronics

Another example of Broadview’s high-performance products is our HHPA/MHHPA, which offers the highest purity and color stability compared to related anhydrides. This epoxy resin hardener offers unparalleled resistance to UV radiation and other atmospheric contaminants, and this property combined with its color retention makes it an excellent choice for high-performance outdoor LED displays, high voltage electrical castings, and other electronics.

MTHPA: Insulating Outdoor Electronics and Electrical Castings

MTHPA is another of Broadview’s many specialty anhydrides, and is particularly suited to epoxy resins used in electrical insulation. Resins cured with MTHPA show a low tendency to absorb moisture and little to no formation of CO2 when mixed with other accelerators. The product has been used successfully in the production of a variety of electrical components, such as capacitors, resistors, wiring components, transformers, and ignition coils.

Want to see what else Broadview Technologies has to offer?

Broadview Technologies, Inc. has years of experience in producing high-performance anhydrides for epoxy resins used in electrical castings, and the products above are just a few of dozens of anhydrides that we’ve developed. Head over to our website to contact us or view our full product directory.

Broadening the Horizons of Anhydride Chemistry

Anhydrides are an important part of many different products, and their versatility is why Broadview Technologies has specialized in developing specialty anhydrides for our customers. Over the years, we’ve created specialty anhydrides for a wide range of applications, and we’re always finding new ways that our anhydrides can improve the performance of our customers’ end-use products. Our goal is always to find new chemical applications that can benefit from our specialty anhydrides, or to improve on our existing products for better performance, reliability, and value.

Here are some of the many different practical uses that Broadview’s anhydrides have to offer.

Electrical Potting and Encapsulation

One of the most common and popular uses for anhydrides is in electrical applications. From high-energy lithium-ion batteries, to high voltage transformers and precision windings, and even outdoor LED displays, we’ve developed specialty anhydrides that protect and enhance the performance of a wide range of electrical components for both indoor and outdoor needs. Our products can be found in PCBs and ignition coils as well for a wide range of applications.

Coatings and Adhesives

An underlooked application of anhydrides is their use in various types of coatings. For instance, we’ve developed specialty anhydrides that are used in a variety of different powder coatings and other electrostatic spray coatings, as well as heat-resistant ablative coatings. They’re also used in one-package adhesives and Pre-peg tapes for packaging applications. In terms of electrical encapsulation, our anhydrides are perfect in epoxy resins and PCB lamination as well.

High Performance Composites

One of the more unique applications that Broadview’s specialty anhydrides serve is high performance for harsh environments such as high temperature and steam exposure.

Our anhydrides are used in downhole applications for the oil and gas industry and industrial chemical piping.

These high performance anhydrides are also used to improve fracture toughness in sporting goods and military equipment.

Interested in learning more about Broadview’s Specialty Anhydrides?

Broadview Technologies has decades of experience in the material science industry, and has developed many different anhydride products to serve a variety of chemical applications. Head over to our website to learn more about each one of our products and request a quote today!

The Complex Science Behind Fire Retardants

One of the markets that Broadview has been in since our company began is in the making of fire retardants. Fire retardant chemicals are designed to slow down and reduce the intensity of the fire, and in some cases even stop it. Though there are other methods, we’re taking a closer look at fire retardants that use chemical action to reduce the flammability of whatever may be fueling the fire.

How Fire Retardants Work

There are several different types of chemical-based fire retardants, but our focus will be on char formation and intumescents, as these two types are what we specialize in. Our INTUMAX® products are designed to serve as intumescent agents that protect a variety of coatings.

Before we jump into intumescents though, it’s important to first understand how char layers work, a component of these fire retardant chemicals. For carbon-based substrates, char formation is an excellent option. When they experience intense heat and flame, the chemicals within the flame retardant react, forming a layer of carbon-filled char that is much harder to burn than the material underneath. This protects the substrate from burning any further.

Intumescents are based on char layers, but also incorporate other chemicals that, when the char layer reacts and forms due to intense heat, offer additional protection behind the char layer. They get their name from intumescence, the process of swelling in reaction to heat exposure–think of a marshmallow cooking over an open fire getting bigger as it roasts, but much less dense than it was at its initial state.

Broadview’s INTUMAX®

Our Intumax products are a family of fire retardant chemicals designed to form a thick, high-yield char barrier that mitigates fire and prevents further flame spread, all while insulating and protecting the coated substrate underneath from heat damage. They are entirely halogen free–and they will not result in highly toxic and corrosive gasses that are associated with many other flame retardant products. Additionally, they are made to have low solubility in water, so they won’t leech out over time and lose their performance. Intumax can be incorporated into a variety of materials and coatings, such as thermoset coatings and foams, potting compounds, thermoplastics, paints and resins, and much more.

Interested in Broadview’s fire retardant chemicals?

Broadview Technologies, Inc. has been providing innovative solutions in fire retardants, specialty anhydrides, plasticizers, and more since the 1960s. For more information about our products or anything that we can do for you, head over to our website to contact us!

Potting Compounds for Demanding Applications

Potting compounds are crucial for electronic assemblies, protecting each of the individual components from vibration, shock, extreme temperatures, moisture, dust, and other damaging conditions and contaminants. The more demanding the environment, the more important it is that potting compounds can withstand these harsh conditions.

One of Broadview’s specialties is in developing potting compound solutions for our customers that are capable of withstanding even the harshest conditions found in aerospace, defense, and other demanding applications where reliability is a must. We provide high performance potting compounds that insulate your electronics, protect them from extremely high or low temperatures, corrosion, moisture, and other hazards. Our goal is to ensure that your products maintain long-lasting performance, even in the harshest applications.

Broadview’s Potting Compound HIGHTEMP 221

HIGHTEMP 221 is the latest of our 200 series of single-component epoxy systems for potting applications. This clear impregnating and casting resin has all of the necessary components correctly integrated already so that our customers don’t need to worry about any additional hardeners or catalysts. All they have to do is melt and pour the resin, and then let it cure, with no risk of blending errors or damage to the components due to incorrect formulations.

This potting compound is a viscous blend at room temperature, and dissolves into a clear, fluid resin when heated, with an extended pot life and low viscosity compared to similar products. Our product is proven to withstand the internal stresses and strains caused by expansion during casting, and its performance won’t be affected by these conditions. HIGHTEMP 221 is also a polymerizable mixture, and any added plasticizers won’t flow out and cause the resin to lose its flexibility.

Broadview’s potting compound offers proven performance in the impregnation of government-standard electrical components, meeting the rigid standards of MIL-T-27 E, Class U for transformers and inductors. It’s been thoroughly tested for quality and performance in both the lab and the real world to ensure that it can meet the needs of any high reliability application across the most demanding industries.

Interested in HIGHTEMP 221 or any of our products? Head over to our website to learn more about Broadview Technologies and request a quote today.

Resoflex: Flexible and Flame Retardant Plasticizers

Broadview Technologies has been in the material sciences for decades, and over the years we’ve developed many different useful products for flame retardancy, epoxy curing, and plasticizing needs. One of the unique, high performance products that we offer is our Resoflex plasticizers.

The Importance of Plasticizers in Plastic Manufacturing

Plasticizers are crucial for injection molding and thermoforming of plastics, making these materials much easier to shape and mold. They are added to a polymer in order to cushion the chains and make the polymer less rigid, without actually affecting the polymer bonds themselves. This causes the thermoplastic to become much more flexible and far easier to work with when it comes to manufacturing certain plastic products. Broadview’s Resoflex products do just that–improve the flexibility of a polymer–but they also have the added benefit of improving the material’s flame retardance as well.

Broadview’s Resoflex Plasticizers

Resoflex R-296, R-560, and R-804 are high performance plasticizers developed by Broadview Technologies in collaboration with Cambridge Industries. These products soften a variety of thermoplastics, increasing their flexibility and plasticity for easier handling during manufacturing. The Resoflex line offers excellent chemical properties as they are completely saturated and thus are remarkably stable no matter the environment. Extreme temperatures on either end, UV rays, oxygen, ozone–none of these will affect the capability and performance of our plasticizers.

Our Resoflex products offer several enhanced properties and advantages, one of the main benefits being they are nonreactive and nonmigratory. The Resoflex line does not experience plasticizer migration, and thus won’t experience the problems associated with this issue, like environmental stress cracking or embrittlement. They offer essentially zero volatility–they won’t react due to hot or cold temperatures, and are stable when exposed to UV and water, and help the thermoplastic retain its color under various environmental conditions as well. Finally, Resoflex plasticizers offer excellent resistance to oils, fats, grease, and even gasoline, making them excellent for many different applications.

The Resoflex line offers some of the most versatile and high performance plasticizers in the industry, and have been used successfully in many different applications:

Adhesives
Polyester foam
Grease-Proof paper and fiberboard coatings for food packaging
Barrier coatings for vinyl-flooring and wall covering
Water-emulsion paints
Washable sizes for fabrics
Leather finishes
Warp sizes
Binders for fiberboard
High-grade heat-resistant lacquers
Coating fabrics having high moisture vapor transmission
Binders for non-woven fabric
Bookbinding adhesives
Self-sizing wall primers and sealers
Heat-seal coatings
Laminations
Coating nylon thread and filament
Synthetic Lubricants
Backing compounds for rugs and carpets

Interested in Broadview’s Plasticizers?

If you’re interested in Resoflex, or any of our products, head over to our website to contact us and request a quote today!

Polyanhydrides: Bio-based Alternatives for the Future

One of the most unique aspects about polyanhydrides compared to other types of specialty anhydrides is that they’re biodegradable. These types of polymers consist of anhydride bonds that break down in water, resulting in smaller chains that are much more easily degraded–and, especially important for pharmaceuticals, are also biocompatible. However, the safer nature of polyanhydride degradation also offers a bio-based alternative for many other applications too, especially in high performance electrical potting and encapsulation.

Broadview Technologies–A Premiere Manufacturer of Specialty Polyanhydrides for Electrical Potting and Epoxy Curing Agents

With the push for sustainability and more environmentally friendly practices across manufacturing, characteristics like the bio-friendly polyanhydride degradation are crucial for many applications.Broadview Technologies for instance has developed several polyanhydrides for use in epoxy curing for electrical components. Our product, Polyazelaic Polyanhydride (PAPA) for instance can be blended and cured with epoxy resins for electrical potting and encapsulation, and being a polyanhydride, offers a biobased alternative to other types of additives.

Or there’s our other polyanhydride products. PSPA, or polysebacic polyanhydride, for instance is an epoxy curing agent that doesn’t require the use of additional additives like other curing agents. Its properties meet even the strict requirements of NASA for heat shields, and lend well to a wide range of electrical potting applications. This polyanhydride offers a bio-based curing agent for epoxy resins used in potting, electrical encapsulation, electrostatic spray coatings, like powder coatings, and epoxy transfer molding compounds.

We also have a recent addition to our line of polyanhydride products, AC-986. This is a specifically bio-based polyanhydride, developed for formulating epoxy conformal coatings, and coatings with excellent moisture and acid resistance for resins that will experience highly corrosive environments.

About Broadview Technologies, Inc.

Broadview Technologies has a long history of developing a wide range of specialty anhydrides for various applications in epoxy curing, electrical potting, adhesives, and many different types of coatings, including our polyanhydride products. For more information on any of our products, don’t hesitate to check out our Product Directory for all technical information, or contact us today with any questions you may have.

Unlocking the Potential of Polyanhydrides for Food Packaging and Related Applications

In one of our previous articles, we explored the wide range of applications that polyanhydrides can serve thanks to their versatility. This time, we’re going to focus on the use of polyanhydrides for food packaging and pharmaceutical applications.

Polyanhydrides–Engineered for Biocompatibility and Safety

One of the major benefits of polyanhydrides is that they can be engineered specifically to meet certain purposes. For instance, Broadview has engineered a few different polyanhydrides for specific applications like epoxy systems, powder coating, and paper laminates. Other polyanhydrides are designed and formulated particularly for pharmaceutical applications that require biocompatibility. These polyanhydrides are made to be biobased and safe for use in drug delivery systems and other pharmaceutical applications that directly or indirectly impact a person’s health.

Polyanhydrides for Food Packaging

That same biobased properties and overall safety that can be engineered into polyanhydrides is what makes them excellent for packaging in food preparation and processing. Polymers have played an important role in packaging materials for most of the modern age, and polyanhydrides are one of those types of polymers that can play a role in food packaging.

Broadview’s polyanhydrides, while seeing their most common performance in electrical potting when blended with other liquid anhydrides, also prove successful in various packaging applications. Our PAPA (Polyazelaic Polyanhydride) for instance can be used in cured epoxy resins for one-package adhesives and prepreg tapes. Food packaging products need to remain stable and safe, without interfering with the contents itself. PAPA has both excellent toughness and good stability at room temperature, lasting anywhere from two months to over a year.

Broadview Technologies: Leading Manufacturer of Specialty Anhydrides and Polyanhydrides

Polyanhydrides have some of the most wide ranging applications of any type of anhydride, with applications across many different industries, including various types of packaging. Broadview Technologies, Inc. is a premiere developer and manufacturer of a wide range of specialty anhydrides, including polyanhydrides for food packaging applications. If you’re interested in our polyanhydrides, or any of our high performance products, head over to our website to check out our full product directory!

Exploring the Versatility and Benefits of Polyanhydrides

Polyanhydrides are one of the types of specialty anhydrides that we offer here at Broadview Technologies, and they’re one of the most versatile and advantageous products as well. Polyanhydrides of all types can be found serving a variety of applications. Broadview’s products are engineered to be epoxy curing agents and electrical potting compounds, but other polyanhydrides are best known for their use in biomedical treatments and pharmaceuticals.

What are Polyanhydrides?

Polyanhydrides are a type of polymer created by repeated units of anhydride bonds, creating a strong backbone chain. There are three major classes of polyanhydrides, depending on the chemical structure of the molecule, but nearly any type of polyanhydride can be engineered for specific properties and applications.

Polyanhydrides also have the added capability to be engineered for biocompatibility and controlled degradation, hence their popular use in pharmaceuticals and drug treatments. These types of polyanhydrides are considered biodegradable, as they degrade safely without damaging the human body when used in drug delivery systems.

Going Beyond the Medical Field

However, polyanhydrides aren’t just an excellent innovation for the medical field. Broadview Technologies for instance has developed two polyanhydrides that are excellent for potting compounds and epoxy resin curing applications.

Our PSPA (polysebacic polyanhydride) is a polymeric anhydride epoxy curing agent that doesn’t require the use of tertiary amines or other accelerators to work properly. It has been designed with characteristics such as excellent thermal stability, a long pot life, low vapor pressure, and high toughness, making it an ideal one-component epoxy system. PSPA is an excellent curing agent for potting compounds, electrical encapsulation, heat resistant ablative coatings, epoxy transfer molding compounds, and electrostatic spray coatings.

Our PAPA (polyazelaic polyanhydride) is a polyanhydride epoxy curing agent that offers a uniquely high toughness when blended into liquid anhydride curing agents. It also can be formulated to improve impact resistance and thermal cycling resistance, as well as a mixture that is stable at room temperature for over a year. It’s often used in applications like electrical potting and powder coating, adhesives, glass and paper laminates, prepreg tapes, filament wound composites, and various encapsulation compounds.

We also offer two different liquid versions – these are our AC-39 and our AC-986. These products are excellent ways of extending elongation and flexibility to epoxy formulations and elongations above 150% are achievable at room temperature.

Interested in Broadview’s products?

Broadview Technologies is a premiere manufacturer and supplier of a wide range of specialty anhydrides, fire retardants, and plasticizers. Head over to our website to learn more about all of our products and view our full product directory today!