Hi Ryan -

There are a bunch of ways to get electronics fully enclosed or encased in
plastics, but the heat and pressure of conventional injection molding
operations probably exceed what a circuit board assembly with normal
components would ever withstand.  You're right, CTE would probably add to the
problem, if the hardware survived molding and went into a product.

Over the years most of us have used a wide variety of electronic grade resins
successfully to pot or encapsulate electronic assemblies against all types of
environments.  Some of this work is done using hard tooling (molds) and some
using plastic cases of various descriptions, which become the outer skin of
the product.

Giving the circuit card assembly a liberal dose of silicone resin before
potting can protect it a bit from the outer molding compound, if TCE is
expected to be a problem.  The silicone cushions, and does not bond to
materials other than silicones, without special preparation.

Regards  - Kelly

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