Every sector has its own failure mode. We've worked in all of them.

Electronic protection is not a generic problem. The failure mode for a hearing aid worn in a steamy bathroom is not the same as the failure mode for a PCBA mounted in an automotive chassis. The reliability standard for a medical implant is not the same as for a consumer wearable.

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The same engineering platform. Four sectors. One team.

P2i’s engineering team has deployed across every major sector in electronics — qualifying protection processes to the specific environments, supply chains, and regulatory frameworks each one demands. What connects all four verticals below is not a product. It is an engineering capability that has been built, qualified, and sustained across two decades of production deployments. Here is where that work has been done.

The problem

The environment your users don’t think about. The failure mode your warranty team does.

Consumer electronics face the widest range of real-world exposure — rain, sweat, condensation, bathroom humidity, the gym bag, the poolside. And the smallest form factors, the densest PCBA layouts, the thinnest enclosures. Protection has to work at the molecular level, because there is no physical room for anything thicker.

Add acoustic sensitivity — a microphone that must perform identically before and after coating — and the engineering complexity becomes clear. Most coating technologies don’t solve this. They protect the board or they preserve the sound. P2i’s plasma process does both.

The P2i answer

How we solve it

Barrier coating

P2i’s Barrier and Splash-Proof plasma coatings are deployed across hearing aids, wireless earphones, smartphones, and wearables globally. The plasma process significantly minimises masking requirements across complex surfaces — connectors, microphone membranes, densely packed PCBA — without changing audio performance, and without adding to the device’s form factor.

Splash-Proof coating

P2i has led the hearing aid category for over 15 years — the most acoustics-sensitive, miniaturised, reliability-critical consumer electronics application in the world. That engineering standard is what we bring to every consumer device we touch.

Platform coverage

Deployed across hearing aids, wireless earphones, smartphones, wearables, automotive, medical, and industrial IoT — globally.

90%+

Field failure reduction — consumer electronics, Barrier coating

99.995%

First-pass yield — wireless earphones, parylene replacement (West Coast OEM)

50%

Field failure reduction — hearing aid sector deployment

100M+

Hearing aids protected — cumulative production record across 15+ years

Zero geometry change — the only coating that protects the microphone without touching the sound.

P2i’s plasma process is the only known coating technology that delivers full PCBA and device protection with no change to microphone performance or audio quality. For hearing aids, wireless earphones, and wearables, this is not a secondary benefit — it is the qualification requirement that eliminates every alternative. No masking. No acoustic compromise. No form factor change.

Consumer Electronics

P2i coatings are the production standard for hearing aid protection, with more than 100 million devices protected. They keep sweat, rain and condensation away from the electronics without changing how the device sounds.

The problem

Hearing aids are worn for hours a day, against the skin, in every climate. Sweat, rain and condensation enter through the microphone and receiver openings, and once liquid reaches the board, corrosion follows. At the same time devices keep getting smaller, cost targets keep tightening, and manufacturers need PFAS-free chemistry and products that can still be repaired, including battery replacement in the field.

Why usual fixes fall short

Gaskets, tape, glue and liquid conformal coatings cannot reach every surface of a miniaturised assembly, and liquid gets in wherever they don’t. Several of them also make rework and repair harder, which costs yield in the factory and adds to e-waste later.

How P2i solves it

P2i applies its coatings by plasma (PECVD), at the molecular level, so they reach every surface of the device.

  • Splash-Proof treats the whole device and stops liquid getting in. Microphones and audio quality are unaffected.
  • Barrier protects the board itself when liquid is forced in, from rain, high humidity, condensation or heavy sweating.

Both coatings are PFAS-free and allow rework during and after manufacture. P2i also runs masking, coating and de-masking end to end, to each customer’s product and qualification criteria.

Proof

  • More than 100 million hearing aids protected.
  • 50% reduction in field-failure returns across the hearing aid sector.

Common questions

Does a protective coating affect hearing aid sound quality?

No. Splash-Proof is ultra-thin and leaves microphones and receivers acoustically unchanged.

Can a coated hearing aid still be repaired?

Yes. P2i coatings allow rework in production and repair in the field, including battery replacement.

Consumer Electronics

Earbuds and headphones are worn through workouts, commutes and rain. P2i coatings protect them from sweat and splashes without blocking the microphone ports, vents and speaker meshes they depend on.

The problem

Wireless audio devices meet sweat, sebum and rain every day, and they cannot be closed up: microphone ports, pressure vents and speaker meshes have to stay open to work. Mechanical seals can pass a pressure test on the assembly line, but drops and flexing in use displace them, and liquid then reaches the board. Manufacturers need protection that fits into the existing line and still allows rework to protect yield.

Why usual fixes fall short

Dip, spray and brush coatings are not consistent enough to bring field returns down. Conventional conformal coatings need extensive masking and glue, which adds cost in production and makes rework and repair difficult.

How P2i solves it

  • Splash-Proof protects the whole device against splashes and spills (IPx2). Ports and meshes stay open and audio performance is unaffected.
  • Barrier protects the board for higher exposure, designed for IPx3 up to IPx7/8 depending on the product.

Both run as a plug-and-play step in the existing assembly line.

Proof

At production volume, P2i replaced a parylene process that had plateaued at 3% scrap, and brought scrap to zero.

Splash-Proof reduces field-failure returns by 40 to 60%. Where Barrier protects the boards, the reduction is 90% or more.

Common questions

Does a water-repellent coating block earbud microphones or speaker meshes?

No. The coating is applied at the molecular level and does not close ports, vents or meshes.

Can a coating get earbuds to IPx7?

Barrier is designed for protection from IPx3 up to IPx7/8. The rating a product reaches depends on its full design.

Consumer Electronics

Most smartphone liquid damage happens after seals have been displaced by drops and flexing. P2i coatings protect the device and its boards from the inside, so protection doesn’t depend on a seal staying in place.

The problem

A phone can pass its seal test at the end of the line and still fail in a customer’s hands. Shipping, drops and everyday flexing move or damage physical seals, liquid gets in, and corrosion turns into a field return. Manufacturers need protection that lasts the life of the device, covers conditions from IPx2 to IPx8, fits into the existing line and allows rework.

Why usual fixes fall short

Mechanical seals only work while they stay intact. Liquid conformal coatings applied by dip, spray or brush are not reliable enough to bring returns down, and conventional conformal coatings need heavy masking and glue that make repair difficult.

How P2i solves it

  • Splash-Proof treats the full device against splashes and spills (IPx2).
  • Barrier protects the boards for higher exposure, designed for IPx3 up to IPx7/8.

Both are applied as a plug-and-play step in the assembly line, and treated devices can still be reworked.

Proof

Splash-Proof reduces field-failure returns by 40 to 60%. Where Barrier protects the boards, the reduction is 90% or more.

Common questions

Does Splash-Proof make a phone waterproof?

No. Splash-Proof protects against splashes and spills (IPx2). Protection against immersion comes from Barrier on the boards, combined with the device design.

Why do sealed phones still fail from liquid damage?

Seals pass a test when the phone is new. Drops and flexing displace them over time, and liquid then reaches the electronics. A coating on the boards keeps protecting after that happens.

Consumer Electronics

Smartwatches and fitness bands stay on the wrist through sweat, showers and washing. P2i coatings keep fabric bands dry and clean without changing how they look or feel, and protect the electronics inside the device.

The problem

Fabric bands absorb water, stay damp and stain. Manufacturers want bands that take on less water, dry faster and resist stains, using a PFOA-free coating that leaves the feel and appearance unchanged. The device itself faces the same sweat and splash exposure as any wrist-worn electronics.

Why usual fixes fall short

Liquid-applied fabric coatings are too thick. They change the feel and the look of the band, and uneven application leads to inconsistent moisture retention and drying times.

How P2i solves it

Fabric bands. P2i’s ultra-thin coating:

  • cuts moisture retention and drying time by 10x
  • increases repellency to water-based liquids (AATCC 193)
  • causes no colour transfer (AATCC 8)
  • holds up to abrasion and repeated washing (AATCC 150:2018)
  • is approved for human skin contact (HRIPT)

Device electronics. Splash-Proof and Barrier protect the device and its boards against sweat and splashes, as on other consumer electronics.

Proof

Coating approved for human skin contact under HRIPT (Human Repeat Insult Patch Test).

Common questions

Does a water-repellent coating change how a watch band feels?

No. The coating is thin enough to leave the feel and appearance of the fabric unchanged, with no colour transfer.

Is the coating safe for skin contact?

Yes. It is approved for human skin contact under HRIPT testing.

Consumer Electronics

Controllers and headsets have fans, joysticks and optics that cannot be sealed. P2i’s Barrier coating lets liquid enter the device without causing functional issues or long-term damage.

The problem

Gaming controllers have cooling fans and joysticks with large moving parts, and there is no room inside them for effective mechanical seals. Headsets add an optical constraint: lenses and displays have to keep their optical properties while the device is protected from sweat and spills.

Why usual fixes fall short

Mechanical seals cannot reliably keep water away from these components. Liquid conformal coatings and parylene don’t last as long as the product, and parylene relies on glues for full protection, which means devices cannot be repaired or reused and end up in landfill.

How P2i solves it

P2i’s Barrier coating protects the electronics themselves, so water, sweat and other liquids can enter the device without causing functional issues or long-term damage. It needs minimal masking during assembly, which keeps production simple.

On headsets, optical transmission stays above 97%, so lenses and displays are unaffected.

Proof

On gaming controllers, Barrier protects joysticks where mechanical seals alone fall short. On headsets, optical transmission stays above 97%.

Common questions

How do you protect a gaming controller that can’t be sealed?

By protecting the electronics instead of trying to keep liquid out. A Barrier coating on the boards lets liquid in without causing damage.

Can a coated controller be repaired?

Yes. Unlike glued parylene assemblies, P2i-coated devices can be repaired and reworked.

Does a protective coating affect VR headset optics?

No. Optical transmission stays above 97%, so lenses and displays are unaffected.

Tell us about your protection challenge.

Sector, application, production environment — our engineers have seen it.

Talk to the team that qualified protection at the hardest end of electronics manufacturing.

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