The electrical and mechanical hardware that lives inside machinery and larger assemblies are vital to critical functions. If these components fail, the whole system fails.
That’s why it’s important to invest in components, connectors and assemblies you can rely on, ensuring consistent performance and extending the lifespan of equipment.
At Brucom, we have invested heavily in overmoulding technology, machinery and techniques to ensure the products we deliver to our clients are able to withstand even the harshest conditions. Learn more about this service, what it is, how we do it and why you should trust Brucom with your overmoulding needs.
What is overmoulding?
Overmoulding is the process of encapsulating and environmentally protecting electronic components like wiring and circuit boards. It uses injection moulding to encase or “encapsulate” a part with a material, such as rubber or plastic, which then creates a single integrated product. Overmoulding protects against moisture, dust, dirt and vibration. It is also used for sealing connectors and strain reliefs.
The overmoulding process
Components are placed inside a mould and go through a injection moulding machine. A polyamide material is heated until it becomes a liquid, and it is then injected into a mould-set cavity and around the electronics at low pressure to take the shape of the mould. Once the Polyamide cools, it then hardens and keeps its shape.
The polyamide material is not too hot for the electronic components and does not melt solder. This is because the relatively cold mould-set will absorb most of the heat.
You're left with a single sealed component, covered in a resilient polyamide material.
What are the benefits of overmoulding?
It protects your components from damage
One benefit of overmoulding is that it protects components from water ingress. Overmoulding creates a protective layer around components, which limits how much water can leak inside. This means that the components are protected and have less of a risk of being damaged by external environments. Overmoulding allows the products to last longer, and because they aren't being damaged by water, it means that they will work better in wet conditions, such as marine or outdoor environments.
It’s not just water, this process protects from dust, dirt and other substances too. After 20 years of overmoulding for the automotive and industrial industries, we have never seen a failure in the overmould itself. Our Head of Engineering, Kyle Potts, shares a story to highlight the durability of overmoulding and its usefulness in the construction industry specifically.
“There was even a project where we overmoulded parts for a cement mixing truck, and we saw the vehicle itself corrode and fall apart before any of our wiring showed faults or even significant ingress.”
It helps your component last longer
Overmoulding can increase the lifespan of your components. Mechanical wear and tear can degrade components, but overmoulding reduces the damage that repetitive use can do to the parts. Overmoulding is designed to protect against shock and vibration, which might be a factor, particularly in vehicles and mechanical machinery. This means you can trust your component to last longer, reducing cost for you and the need for continuous replacements.
It makes assembly easier
Another benefit of overmoulding is that it reduces installation time and effort. Since components are moulded into one single part, no manual assembly is required. This reduces weak points, labour costs and time to fit and assemble components.
Are there risks of encapsulation?
Overmoulding, also known as encapsulation, does pose some risks to your part.
Once a wiring harness or component is encased in the solid block of resin, it is impossible to repair or rework it without destroying the entire structure. This means that if there was internal damage to the component before or after overmoulding, you might not be able to see it until you test it afterwards and will have to break it open to fix it.
Because resins can act as an insulator overmoulding can also lead to heat being trapped inside of the unit. This could reduce the lifespan of your component as the trapped heat accelerates the degradation of electronic components. This can halve the service life of the electronics. Furthermore, the chemical reaction that occurs during curing can generate more heat. If it is not managed carefully enough it can melt the wire or damage sensors before they even leave the factory.
Another risk to bear in mind is that different materials expand and contract at different rates. This means that if the resin and the wiring are mismatched, then the temperature cycles can cause the resin to crack or break the bonds. As well as when resin cures, it naturally shrinks; this can exert high pressure on delicate components, which can lead to failures or delicate wires being crushed. If the resin has trapped air, it can create weak spots where moisture can gather.
Our process eliminates these risks
We understand that, given these risks, you might be reluctant to overmould your products. That’s why you need a designer and manufacturer who is skilled with overmoulding, clearly understands these risks and how to mitigate them. At Brucom, we are well-equipped to navigate these risks. We are a pioneer of low-pressure, low-temperature overmoulding and have invested in technology to help inspect products for faults before, during and after overmoulding.
Why you should invest in high-quality overmoulding with Brucom?
We’ve invested in our own in-house tooling, machinery and expertise to provide excellent overmoulding services, ensuring products are reliable and durable.
Our innovative overmould inspection camera
We’ve invested in making our overmould machine more efficient by adding our new AI camera, which has allowed us to check and inspect the product before and during overmoulding to ensure any issues are discovered before overmoulding. This has eliminated the risk of costly and time-intensive re-fixes later. With this AI camera, we are able to ensure products have been moulded properly and offer superior protection against water ingress, corrosion and mechanical wear.
Low-pressure, low-temperature overmoulding eliminates heat risks
We specialise in low-pressure moulding, which means we use a lower temperature and pressure to protect the delicate internal electronics that might be damaged by traditional high-pressure injections.
High quality materials
To increase the value and usefulness of overmoulding, we have invested in quality materials for the moulding processes. We use a technomelt which is resistant to oils, diesels and extreme temperatures. This makes it perfect for agricultural and automotive use as the overmoulds will last longer.
Our engineers can create bespoke moulds for any component
As part of our service we can design and manufacture a custom-made mould to fit perfectly around your components. This allows our overmoulding process to be more effective. With our rapid in-house prototyping, using our 3D printing and tooling facilities, we can design and produce bespoke tooling in as little as 2-3 days.
Find out more about our overmoulding service here
By investing in the skills, tools, materials and technology required to overmould to an outstanding quality, we have eliminated the risks and maximised the benefits for our clients.
With over twenty years of experience in the electrical and mechanical manufacturing industry, you can rely on us to deliver superior services. We are a trusted tier one supplier to a range of industry leaders, including the MOD and JCB. They trust us to deliver products which they can rely on, and we promise the same standards for all our partners.