Waterproofing protects all smartphone components
A waterproof coating, developed by P2i protects all smartphone components, even when water enters the handset.
The Dunkable system-level waterproofing enables a smartphone to operate normally even when it has been fully submerged for long periods, and the outer case breached, says P2i.
It protects every component in a smartphone handset to IPX8 level for the life of the device.
Dunkable’s patented multi-chemistry is customised to an OEM’s manufacturing process and handset design. It is inert, and does not degrade through impact, heat, or environmental stress or when in contact with solvents, adds P2i.
Current waterproofing methods carry high manufacturing costs and place limitations on handset design, explains the company. Mechanical seals currently used to protect handsets to IPX7 and IPX8 levels only act as a barrier to water, allowing short circuiting if water enters the device via a cracked screen or a de-laminated seal. They also use space that could be used for larger batteries.
Ady Moores, CEO, P2i said: “Dunkable . . . represents a step change in the level of waterproofing available to handset manufacturers. The launch means that, for the first time, OEMs have access to the most advanced water protection capabilities that can be rolled out on virtually all form factors…not just the usual square designs”. He predicts that P2i will have the ability to treat over half a billion smartphones in 2019.
Dunkable enables handset manufactures to create designs that are thinner, foldable, or have smaller bezels without compromising the water protection.
P2i’s technologies are trusted to protect a range of products from smartphones (they are used by phone manufacturers Huawei, Lenovo, Motorola, Sony and Xiaomi) to filtration systems, with over 160 patents granted or pending.
Initially, P2i is targeting Dunkable at smartphones, although the technology is also applicable to tablets, wearables, consumer devices and industrial systems. The first devices protected by the Dunkable solution are set to enter the market in 2019.
The picture shows an untreated phone (left) and a treated phone (right) which is working normally 10 minutes after the electronics have been exposed to water.
Dunkable-treated handsets will be on display at MWC 2019 (25 to 28 February) at the P2i stand in Congress Square CS126, Barcelona, Spain.
