Well, here's some basic stuff from my experience.
Conductive paint cannot be used for "earth bonding".
It can be used only for shielding purposes. In other
words, don't expect to either a. pass large amounts
of current through it, b. assume it will always be
a reliable ground path, c. be able to act similar to
the ground path a metal chassis provides.
Conductive paint is usually good for *one time* use.
In other words, don't expect the paint to survive
repeated removals and installations of the cover
to which it's applied. So use it carefully in places
where it's a "Fit and Forget" type application.
I've dealt with two types of conductive paint, nickel
and copper. Both are somewhere around 1 to 1/2 ohm
per square depending upon a lot of factors:
1. Composition of the paint - Acrylic based paint or
oil based paint. Oil based being the higher ohms
per square.
2. Manufacturability - Depending upon how thick or how
many layers of the paint are applied.
Research these topics very carefully with the paint maker
and the vendor who will apply it.
IF the decision to use conductive paint is made,
the following information is necessary for safety:
If the enclosure to which the paint is applied is plastic -
a. Need UL-94V) rating of specific plastic used.
b. Need UL approval of conductive paint.
c. Need UL approval of specific plastic mfr to mold plastic.
d. Need UL approval of marriage between specific plastic
and specific conductive paint.
e. Need UL approval of mfr to do marriage of plastic
and paint.
Regards, Doug
At 10:06 AM 4/13/99 -0600, JENKINS, JEFF wrote:
>Hello Group,
>
>My company is proposing to use conductive paint on our enclosures, and I
>would like your input as to the acceptability of this vis-a-vis protective
>earth bonding of enclosure panels. I am interested in the perspective of
>both European and North American requirements.
>
>This should be a generic question, but if it helps, here are the standards
>we use:
>
>EN 60950 / IEC 950 / UL 1950 / CSA 950
>EN 50178
>UL 1012
>CSA C22.2 No. 107.1
>
>Regards,
>
>Jeff Jenkins
>Senior Regulatory Compliance Engineer
>Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.
>Fort Collins, CO USA 80525
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