Low pressure injection molding (LPM) is a process that uses thermoplastic or polyamide materials, melted at relatively low temperatures, to encapsulate electronic components and circuit boards. Unlike traditional high-pressure injection molding, which can crack delicate components or distort solder joints, LPM applies gentle pressure that conforms around the PCBA without stressing it. The result is a sealed, vibration-resistant, moisture-barrier shell that protects the board throughout its service life.
For a low pressure molding for electronics provider, the applications extend well beyond simple waterproofing. The encapsulation layer cushions against mechanical shock, insulates against electrical shorting from conductive debris, buffers thermal cycling stress, and blocks chemical ingress from salt spray, cleaning solvents, or industrial atmospheres. This makes LPM especially valuable for products that must perform outdoors, in vehicles, or in medically regulated environments.
Several sectors have made low pressure molding a standard part of their manufacturing requirements rather than an optional add-on:
Automotive electronics: Sensor modules, connector harnesses, and control boards in vehicles face constant vibration, underhood heat, and road moisture. low pressure molding for automotive electronics encapsulates these assemblies to withstand harsh conditions while maintaining electrical isolation.
Medical devices: Implantable sensors, diagnostic probes, and patient-monitoring electronics require encapsulation that is both biocompatible and hermetically reliable. LPM materials meet these demands without exposing heat-sensitive biological components to thermal damage.
Industrial sensors: Equipment deployed in factories, energy installations, and outdoor monitoring stations relies on LPM to survive dust, humidity, and temperature extremes over multi-year deployment cycles.
Consumer and communication electronics: Smartphones, wearable devices, IoT modules, and networking hardware use LPM to protect microswitches, battery contacts, and connector interfaces from everyday moisture and ｄｒｏｐ impact.
Not every factory offering encapsulation services is equipped to deliver consistent, certified results. The following criteria separate a qualified partner from a risky one.
A trustworthy LPM factory should hold certifications that align with the industries it serves. At minimum, look for ISO 9001 for quality management and ISO 14001 for environmental management. If your products are automotive-related, IATF 16949 is the industry benchmark. For medical devices, ISO 13485 is essential. These certifications confirm that the factory operates under documented, audited processes rather than ad-hoc procedures.
Farway Electronic, based in LongGang, Shenzhen, holds all four of these certifications simultaneously: ISO 9001, ISO 13485, IATF 16949, and ISO 14001. The company also complies with UL, RoHS, SGS, and REACH requirements, and follows IPC-A-610 as its PCBA assembly standard. This combination means the same factory can produce encapsulated boards for a medical sensor, an automotive controller, and an industrial monitoring device without switching quality frameworks.
The number of LPM machines and the overall production footprint directly affect lead times, batch flexibility, and the ability to scale. A factory with only one molding machine creates a bottleneck; if that machine goes down, your entire order stalls. Look for facilities with multiple machines and a workshop large enough to handle parallel workflows.
Farway operates a 2,000-square-metre production workshop equipped with 4 dedicated low-pressure injection moulding machines, alongside 2 SMT production lines, 2 DIP plug-in lines, 1 conformal coating spraying line, and 2 finished-product assembly lines. This configuration allows the factory to process encapsulation orders in parallel with upstream PCB assembly, rather than queueing them sequentially.
Encapsulation is only valuable if the board underneath actually works. A serious LPM factory should test boards both before and after molding. Pre-encapsulation testing catches solder defects, component failures, and programming errors while they are still repairable. Post-encapsulation testing confirms that the molding process itself did not introduce thermal stress or connectivity issues.
The inspection capabilities to look for include SPI solder-paste inspection, AOI optical inspection, FAI first-article inspection, X-ray inspection for hidden solder joints, ICT circuit testing, FCT functional testing, thermal imaging, and high- and low-temperature reliability testing. Factories that lack these tools are essentially shipping boards blind.
The most cost-effective LPM partners are those who can handle the entire manufacturing chain under one roof. When PCB fabrication, component sourcing, SMT assembly, DIP welding, conformal coating, low pressure molding, testing, and finished product assembly service are all handled by separate vendors, you absorb the coordination overhead, shipping costs, and quality-dispute risk at each handoff. A single-source manufacturer eliminates these gaps.
Farway's nine core service areas cover the complete chain from PCB board making through final box-build assembly. The company also provides value-added services including NPI (new product introduction), DFX (design for excellence), program burning, stencil fabrication, fixture production, and repair service. This means an OEM customer can submit a Gerber file and BOM, then receive a fully tested, encapsulated, packaged product without managing multiple suppliers.
Beyond certifications and equipment count, the technical breadth of a factory determines whether it can handle your specific board design. The following table summarizes key process capabilities that Farway publishes on its website:
| Capability | Published Range |
|---|---|
| PCB layers supported | 1 to 32 layers |
| Board types | Rigid, flexible, rigid-flex |
| Board materials | FR-4, CEM-3, Rogers, Teflon, high-Tg, ceramic, halogen-free, mixed-pressure, ultra-thin, ultra-thick |
| Maximum PCB size | 850 mm x 520 mm |
| Board thickness | 0.2 mm to 8 mm |
| Maximum PCBA board size | 510 mm x 460 mm |
| Placement capability | 01005 components; BGA pitch 0.2 mm; QFN, CSP supported |
| Surface treatments | Lead-free HASL, OSP, ENIG, electrical gold, immersion tin, immersion silver |
| Order flexibility | Prototype from 1 piece through large batch production |
These figures matter for LPM projects because the encapsulation mold must accommodate the physical dimensions of the assembled board. Factories limited to small-form-factor boards cannot encapsulate larger industrial control assemblies, and those without flexible PCB support cannot protect the bend-sensitive circuits used in wearable and medical applications.
Shenzhen has developed into the most concentrated electronics manufacturing hub in the world, offering advantages in component availability, supply chain speed, and engineering talent. A factory located in Shenzhen can source components through authorized brand agents and distributors with short lead times, and can respond to design changes or urgent prototype requests faster than offshore alternatives.
Farway Electronic, established in 2018 and operating from LongGang, Shenzhen, has served more than 100 industry customers across more than 20 countries and regions. The company's component management process includes BOM risk checking, incoming quality inspection, ERP-tracked warehousing, first-in-first-out inventory rotation, anti-static storage, vacuum packaging, and controlled temperature and humidity environments. These practices prevent the counterfeit-component and moisture-sensitivity issues that plague less controlled sourcing operations.
Before placing an order with any encapsulation factory, ask these practical questions:
Can the factory provide technical consulting and engineering support from mould development through production, or does it only run finished molds?
Does the factory test boards functionally before and after encapsulation, or only visually?
What certifications does the factory hold, and are they current and relevant to your industry?
Can the factory handle your board material and layer count requirements?
Is the factory a single-source manufacturer that can also handle upstream PCB fabrication, SMT, DIP, coating, and final assembly?
Does the factory offer a repair or warranty commitment for defects arising during standard use?
Farway addresses each of these points: it provides support from technical consulting and engineering through product and mould development to production; it runs a full battery of pre- and post-encapsulation tests; it holds the four ISO/IATF certifications mentioned above; it supports rigid, flexible, and rigid-flex boards up to 32 layers; it operates the complete nine-step manufacturing chain; and it offers a one-year free-repair commitment for eligible non-external defects arising during standard customer use.
Selecting the right low pressure injection molding partner is not just about finding someone who can pour material into a mould. It is about finding a manufacturer with the certifications, equipment, testing infrastructure, and full-chain capabilities to deliver protected electronics that perform reliably in the field. Farway Electronic brings all of these elements together in a 2,000-square-metre Shenzhen facility, backed by ISO 9001, ISO 13485, IATF 16949, and ISO 14001 certifications, four dedicated LPM machines, and a complete manufacturing chain from PCB fabrication through finished product assembly.
To discuss your PCBA encapsulation requirements, request a quotation, or learn more about Farway's low pressure molding capabilities, contact the engineering team at sales@farway.hk or call 181 2472 7402. Prototype orders start from a single piece, and the team responds with rapid quotations and engineering feedback.
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