John, Yes. I've done it. But the info is dated a little.
First, the plastic has to have it's own UL rating. For SELV this might involve V2 min. Not sure about that. Then, the mold house has to have it's own UL approval to do the molding. Then, the conductive coating must have it's own UL approval as an approved material. Then, the marriage of the coating and the coating has to have yet another UL approval. Then, the vendor who does the application of the coating to the plastic has to have yet another UL approval. Depending upon the coating being an oil base or water base, you'll get different ohm readings. The oil will be higher in general. Then, within the types of coating, be it oil or water based, there's differences in ohmage as well. I got nickel which was good for 0.5 ohm with a 7mil layer I believe. You can add more layers to lower the resistance. Silver and copper coating will be lower in resistance for the same thickness. Then, the conductive coating can't be used as a primary ground. Conductive coatings are also good for only one time use essentially. Removing and installing a cover several times with a conductive coating will jeopardize the integrity of the coating. It'll flake or simply wear off. So, it's best to use it with the understanding that once the cover is installed and fit in place, then it stays that way. I had very good results with it. It was getting through the safety aspects that proved difficult. This directly impacts the search effort for a vendor to use up front before you even start using it. Make sure to consult your safety approvals engineer at whatever NRTL you're using to fill you in on all the details specific to safety. Regards, Doug McKean ------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE EMC Society Product Safety Technical Committee emc-pstc discussion list. Visit our web site at: http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/emcs/pstc/ To cancel your subscription, send mail to: majord...@ieee.org with the single line: unsubscribe emc-pstc For help, send mail to the list administrators: Michael Garretson: pstc_ad...@garretson.org Dave Heald davehe...@mediaone.net For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: ri...@ieee.org Jim Bacher: j.bac...@ieee.org All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.rcic.com/ click on "Virtual Conference Hall,"
