Manufacturers Expect Electronic Products To Fail Without Liquid Protection

Five in every six (83%) manufacturers would expect their electronic products to fail within a year without liquid protection, with accidental submersion and spills seen as the two biggest risks to causing liquid damage to products, according to a research study carried out by liquid protection solutions provider P2i.

In light of this finding, one of the most important benefits of protecting products from liquid damage is to protect and strengthen the brand’s image, as around a third of respondents (32%) said it improves the user experience and 33% said it is an important feature for marketing the final product.

The study polled Research & Design professionals at electric device manufacturers and found that over a quarter (27%) of companies now solely rely on nanocoating solutions to protect products, with 61% of respondents using some form of nanocoating protection. In addition, 96% of manufacturers typically offer some level of warranty against liquid damage on products when a liquid protection solution is used.

Simon Vogt, Chief Commercial Officer at P2i said: “We are increasingly seeing manufacturers require a number of different levels of liquid protection, from splash resistance to fully submersible devices, with no one size fits all. Liquid protection is essential for products being fit for purpose, with nearly a fifth (19%) of our survey respondents believing their product would fail in the first three months without it and half (50%) expecting the device to fail within six months”.

The study found achieving longer lasting protection (53%) and easier implementation in the design process (41%) were the top two advantages of nano-coatings for liquid protection compared to mechanical solutions or conformal coatings, with helping to achieve environmental objectives cited by just over a quarter (26%). Furthermore, over a quarter (27%) believed there is no disadvantage in comparison to more traditional methods.

Almost half of respondents (40%) noted cost as the largest perceived disadvantage of using nano-coating techniques, but as Vogt stated: “Nanocoating solutions provide tremendous value for manufacturers in several areas compared to other solutions. The initial investment significantly extends the product’s life to keep it in use by the customer for longer, providing cost savings from fewer returns as well as acting to strengthen the brand image.

“Users of electronic devices and products associate high quality with a longer lifespan and are highly disappointed if they fail to work as expected. This reflects badly on the manufacturer, so protecting the device also acts to protect the brand.”