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Manufacturers are constantly faced with either scrapping castings that leak or sealing the castings through vacuum impregnation. Some may perceive vacuum impregnation as a non-value added cost and assume it is less expensive to scrap die castings that leak. In this simplified yet real-world example, we will review the costs of die casting scrap compared to vacuum impregnation.
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Modern EV architectures, industrial automation, and high-reliability aerospace assemblies depend on delicate circuitry that must operate flawlessly under aggressive moisture exposure and severe vibration. At Godfrey & Wing, we manufacture advanced vacuum impregnation equipment, specialized resin sealants, and processing lines engineered to seal internal voids across sensitive electronic applications. Learn more about the advantages of vacuum impregnation for electronics and how to implement effective strategies for sealing electronic components against environmental degradation.
The vacuum impregnation process seals internal air gaps, micro-porosities, and leak paths within electrical connectors, sensors, and power distribution modules. The process begins by pulling a deep vacuum to evacuate trapped air from internal voids.
Once evacuated, liquid resin enters the chamber and penetrates microscopic voids. Positive pressure then drives the sealant deep into every internal cavity. Excess resin washes away from external surfaces before curing transforms liquid sealant into a permanent polymer barrier. Using vacuum impregnation with electronics establishes an internal seal without altering external dimensional tolerances or adding excess assembly weight.
Unsealed micro-porosities in cast housings, overmolded connectors, and terminal pins act as pathways for moisture, dust, and corrosive fluids. This can compromise the insulation’s electrical resistance. Uncontrolled moisture migration can also lead to oxidation in battery terminals and power modules.
Preventing battery corrosion in electronics means using the right method to effectively seal leak pathways before fluid reaches active circuits. Thoroughly sealing electronic components preserves system integrity in the given operating environment.
Vacuum impregnation technology is used to seal electronics for several key reasons, including its ability to effectively seal leak paths, shield internal parts against moisture, and meet quality demands.
Overmolded parts and electrical winding systems can develop microscopic air gaps during cooling due to differing thermal expansion rates. Applying vacuum impregnation completely seals hidden leak paths to create a solid, uniform mass.
Moisture that migrates through voids can accelerate wear and lead to premature failure in electronics. The vacuum impregnation process seals these voids to shield internal contacts from harsh automotive fluids, chemicals, and humidity.
Traditional insulation methods can add bulk to electronics or restrict compact layout designs. Utilizing a precise vacuum impregnation process provides robust environmental protection to seal internal leak paths without compromising on weight or space constraints, allowing engineers to maintain dimensional and layout requirements.
Using vacuum impregnation supports effective sealing and reliability across critical electronics applications. Examples of its use cases and benefits are shown below:
| Application / Component | Primary Failure Mode Addressed | Core Benefit of Vacuum Impregnation |
| Wire/Wire Harnesses | Voids between stranded wires | Seals leak paths |
| Overmolded Connectors | Pin-to-plastic leak paths | sealing the pin-to-plastic leak path |
| Power Inverters | Thermal shock & condensation | Enhances dielectric isolation and heat transfer |
| EV Battery Enclosures | Fluid/coolant leakage and moisture ingress | Seals leak paths to prevent fluid ingress |
Advanced vacuum impregnation techniques like single-point impregnation can be used with specific sealants to fill air gaps without exposing sensitive components to full immersion.
At Godfrey & Wing, our team provides vacuum impregnation equipment and high-performance resin chemistries tailored to modern electronics manufacturing. Our vacuum impregnation systems integrate directly into assembly lines, delivering rapid cycle times and dependable processing.
Contact our team today via our contact page to consult with an impregnation specialist about your specific application.
The benefits in owning and operating equipment vs. outsourcing are found in the savings of logistics, quality, and part costs. These savings serve to increase a company’s profitability. This reality holds true for vacuum impregnation equipment. But with many projects and programs competing for a limited amount of capital expenditure dollars, owning vacuum impregnation equipment can seem out of reach. Therefore, many companies default to outsourcing their vacuum impregnation requirements.
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A common frustration we hear from manufacturers is that their vacuum impregnation process may seal porosity, but some parts still need to be scrapped due to sealant contamination (Image 1). Most of these manufacturers assume this is normal. The fact is that this is not normal, nor should it be accepted as a typical outcome of the vacuum impregnation process.
Image 1: This feature has excess sealant. The excess sealant will cause quality and assembly issues.
There are a number of reasons why sealant contamination is a problem. Excess cured sealant can affect assembly and part quality. Cured sealant found in tapped holes or blind passages can cause assembly issues or prevent fluid flow in oil passages or water channels. Excess cured sealant on a part’s surface can affect secondary operations, such as painting, plating, or machining. Nonfunctional parts are unusable and must be rejected.
During the impregnation process, uncured, liquid sealant is drawn in the part’s porosity. Residual sealant can also remain in openings such as oil passages and water channels. This is not a problem, as long as the sealant is properly washed from those openings. If that wash does not happen, or it is inadequate, the sealant will cure to a hard polymer and cause problems in those areas of the casting.
The root cause of this contamination may be one, or a combination, of these failure modes:
To eliminate sealant contamination, one first must determine its cause. For an existing program, a manufacturer should review sealant control, then process parameters, and finally equipment capability (Image 2).
Image 2: Proper fixturing enables sealant to be properly washed from machined features.
For a new vacuum impregnation program, one must be aware of the requirements of the parts to be processed. Each program should be evaluated for equipment, sealant, and process as no two programs are the same.
For example, a manufacturer should not use the same process to seal macro-porosity in powder metal as for micro-porosity in aluminum die casting. The powder metal process uses just a passive wash; a more aggressive wash is needed to remove the sealant from small features in the aluminum casting and decrease the risk of contamination.
This simplified blog provides a better understanding of sealant contamination. It’s a starting place to look for the root cause and identify how to correct it. Sealant contamination does not have to be accepted. By eliminating it, manufacturers can maximize their number of parts in production.
This year’s NADCA Diecasting Congress and Table Top Conference has transitioned to virtual. Watching a screen will require a different kind of focus instead of attending the technical sessions or walking the exhibitor floor. Before attending, here five tips to help you make the most of your time.
