Find the Right Setup for Conformal Coating Removal
Reworking coated boards is careful work. The coating has to come off where you need it, and the components underneath need to stay intact. Getting that right starts with the right blaster, the right media and the right dust collection working together.
Business applications only. For businesses evaluating equipment for recurring PCB repair, rework or production work. Sample demonstrations are approved case by case and aren’t a one-off repair service.
Vaniman’s ESD-resistant microabrasive systems are built for this kind of selective removal. If you’re evaluating equipment for recurring professional work, tell us about your application. We’ll help you choose a setup and let you know whether a sample-part demonstration makes sense.
Questions? Call (760) 723-1498 or contact Vaniman.
Is Microabrasive Removal Right for Your Coating?
Every coating behaves a little differently. Acrylic, epoxy, silicone, parylene and urethane each have more than one removal method, and our Ultimate Guide lists micro-blasting as an option for all five. Parylene is a coating where a micro blaster is often the best tool, because it’s so durable against other methods.
The best way to know how your board will respond is to look at your coating, your layout and the area you need to clear. That’s what the application review is for.
New to the methods? Our Ultimate Guide to Conformal Coating Removal walks through identifying a coating and comparing chemical, thermal, mechanical and micro-blasting removal.
What the Evaluation Helps You Learn
A good equipment decision starts with your own application, not a generic demo. Together we’ll:
- Talk through your coating, board dimensions and what you need to remove.
- Look at whether microabrasive removal suits your process.
- Review the ESD-resistant blaster, media and dust collection your work calls for.
- If a sample demonstration is approved, share a video of the demonstration, go over what we observed, and recommend a setup.
Match the System to Your Work
Both ESD-resistant Master Problast systems use ionized airflow and a fully grounded cabinet and work surface to create an ESD-resistant work environment. Instant-Off control starts and stops media flow the moment you press or release the foot pedal, and the 3-way LED/UV/combination light lets you switch to UV to see coatings that fluoresce. Both are assembled in the USA, and nothing outlasts a Vaniman.
Master Problast 3 ESD (P/N 80056)
A benchtop ESD-resistant system for selective conformal coating removal and electronics rework, with an adjustable ionizer and a fully grounded cabinet and work surface for complete user and part grounding.
- Internal work area: 20.3″ wide x 9.6″ deep x 9.5″ high
- Handles media from 25 to 250 µm (60 to 360 grit). Three media tanks included: two 50-100 µm tanks and one 50-100 µm VanAcrylic tank
- Requires compressed air (minimum 90 PSI at 1.5 CFM, 2.5 CFM recommended) and a dust collector, sold separately. We recommend the Abrasive Vac (P/N 10660).
- 1 year warranty
Master Problast Titan ESD (P/N 80081)
For larger boards and assemblies that need more room to work.
- Our largest ESD-resistant cabinet: powder-coated steel with a side-loading door; internal work area 24″ wide x 34″ deep x 23″ high
- Ionized ESD airflow with a fully grounded cabinet and work surface
- Handles media from 25 to 250 µm (60 to 360 grit). Three 50-100 µm media tanks included, one of them set up for VanAcrylic
- Requires compressed air (minimum 90 PSI at 1.5 CFM, 2.5 CFM recommended) and a dust collector, sold separately. We recommend the StoneVac II or StoneVac Brushless SC with an Accumulator pre-filter, and we’ll help you match collection to your setup.
- 1 year warranty
VanAcrylic media and the setup around it
Media matters as much as the machine. VanAcrylic is our go-to plastic blasting media for PCB conformal coating removal. Its angular particles cut efficiently through coating, and it’s gentle on masking and components.
VanAcrylic is 80-100 grit media, made for Vaniman’s ESD-resistant blasters only: the Master Problast 3 ESD and the Master Problast Titan ESD. To run it, you’ll need:
- The 50-100 µm Sand Tank for VanAcrylic Media (P/N 98212). One comes with each Master Problast ESD system.
- The Large Violet Tip, 0.059″ (1.5 mm) (P/N 97907). This is a required add-on, sold separately.
Other combinations can cause blockage or poor blasting.
Sodium bicarbonate is also used for coating removal, so we confirm the right media for your coating during the application review.
Optional: the ESD Accumulator (P/N 10519) is an antistatic pre-filter cyclone that installs between the blaster and the dust collector and is designed to reduce static charge during dust separation. Ask us whether it fits your collector.
Explore VanAcrylicNot sure what fits your process? We’ll help you match the blaster, media, tank, tip and dust collection to your work.
From Application Review to Equipment Recommendation
Tell us about your business and process.
Share how many boards need coating removal, what the coating is, and the equipment you’re considering.
We review your application.
Our team looks at fit, scope and sample requirements. If it’s a match, we’ll send written approval and shipping instructions for one agreed sample. You cover shipping to us.
We evaluate the agreed sample.
We work on the agreed removal area, then send you a video of the demonstration and our findings to help you choose equipment.
You choose the right setup.
We’ll go over the recommended blaster, dust collection, media and accessories for your workflow.
Is a Sample Demonstration Right for Your Business?
This program is for businesses evaluating Vaniman equipment for recurring professional coating removal work. Priority goes to businesses with 25 or more boards a month that need coating removal, now or in a planned process, and plans to buy equipment within the next 3 months. Smaller or longer-range equipment projects are still reviewed individually.
The demonstration program isn’t a board repair or ongoing coating removal service, and it isn’t set up for personal projects or curiosity tests. If that’s where you are, our guides and product pages are a great place to start, and our team is happy to answer product questions at (760) 723-1498.
Check Demo Eligibility
About the Demonstration Program
This is a professional equipment evaluation. Complimentary sample demonstrations are offered for approved business applications, depending on application fit and our testing capacity. It isn’t a production processing service, a board repair service, or a test for personal projects.
We review each request before accepting it. Each approved application covers one agreed sample or area, and you’ll receive a video of the demonstration along with our findings. You cover shipping to us. If you’d like the sample back, we’ll return it at your cost; otherwise we dispose of it after the demonstration. Scope, preparation and any extra work are agreed in writing before anything ships.
Coating removal changes the sample and can damage it. Results reflect the sample and conditions we evaluated, so they can’t predict every production outcome. Please wait for our written approval before sending a sample.
A few quick questions help us understand your project. It takes about two minutes, and you can change any answer before you submit.
We’ll review your request before approving a sample demonstration, so please hold off on shipping anything for now.
Equipment Resources for Your Project
Our sample demo program is built for businesses evaluating equipment for recurring professional coating removal work, so based on your answers it may not be the right fit right now. There’s still plenty here to help. Take a look at our equipment, media and application guides below, or call us with a product question at (760) 723-1498.
Planning Ahead? Let’s Talk Equipment
It sounds like your equipment decision is a little further out. That’s a great time to start the conversation. Send us an application inquiry and our team will follow up to talk through your process and the setup that would fit. This is a consultation request, not a demo approval, and we can revisit a sample demonstration as your plans firm up.
Prefer to talk it through? Call our team in Murrieta, California at (760) 723-1498 or reach us through our contact page.
Outside the US? Email us at sales@vaniman.com or call (760) 723-1498, and we’ll help you from there.
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Questions Businesses Ask
Is the demonstration free?
The evaluation itself is complimentary for approved applications, and it includes a video of the demonstration. You cover shipping your sample to us. Each approved application covers one agreed sample or area. Please wait for our written approval and shipping instructions before sending anything.
Can you remove the coating from a board I need repaired?
This program helps businesses choose equipment for their own recurring work, so it isn’t a repair or production coating removal service. Our equipment pages and conformal coating guide are good places to look for help with your project.
Will I get my sample back?
If you’d like it back, just tell us and we’ll return it at your cost. Otherwise we’ll dispose of it for you after the demonstration.
Do small companies qualify?
They can. Company size alone doesn’t decide fit. A five-person repair shop with 25 or more boards a month and a near-term equipment plan gets the same priority review as a large company. We review every application individually.
What if I don’t know the coating type?
That’s fine. Choose “Unknown” and describe your application. We may ask a few more questions before deciding whether a demonstration makes sense. Our conformal coating guide also covers how to identify a coating.
Will testing change my sample?
Yes. Removing coating changes the area we test, and testing can damage a sample or leave it unusable. Please choose a board you can spare rather than an irreplaceable or production-critical one. We’ll agree on sample suitability and handling with you before anything ships.
Can I use VanAcrylic in the blaster I already have?
VanAcrylic is made only for Vaniman’s ESD-resistant blasters, the Master Problast 3 ESD and the Master Problast Titan ESD. If you own one, we’re glad to help you set it up with the right tank and tip. For other blasters, call us and we’ll talk through media that fits your machine.
Does a successful demo mean I’ll get the same results in production?
Not necessarily. Results depend on the coating, board, components, media, settings and operator technique. A demonstration helps you choose equipment; it doesn’t certify or validate your production process.