Conductive Electric Paint

When sampling, it is important to experiment with a number of different materials so that we are able to confidently develop our speaker products. With the fixed main material as paper, it would be the conductive materials used when producing the coil that we would sample.

 

BARE conductive electric paint is a “non-toxic, solvent free” paint that once applied and left to completely dry for around “5-10 minutes” becomes “conductive”.

Similarly to some projects looked at, the paint is therefore a liquid wire and enables us to draw coils for our speaker circuit. The paint, however only comes in the colour black and as a result limits how far we are able to push the aesthetics of the product. In addition, the paint is “water soluble”. This may suggest that it would not be the most suitable material to use for a speaker product in our chosen market of camping and travelling. These activities are predominantly outside where many liquids may come into contact with the developed products. As a result we will need to consider possible waterproofing or protective coatings if the BARE conductive paint was something we wanted to use.

Bare Conductive (2014). BARE Conductive. Retrieved from http://www.bareconductive.com.

YShield High Frequency Shielding Paint

This is a “water-based paint” that is “based on a high quality pure acrylic binder”. The “shielding paint” is suitable to be used for “walls, ceilings, doors and other interior or exterior surfaces”. It has a “high water resistance” and “good adhesion on many surfaces”. The paint is also “frost-resistant” and is effective when just a single layer is used. Similarly to BARE conductive paint, the liquid dries very quickly.

The paint has a “carbon structure, without fibres or meshes” and therefore gives a good “consistent attenuation” which would give an undistorted sound electronic signal. Again, the colour of the paint is only presented as black, however, the weather resistance qualities of the paint suggests that it is a more appropriate liquid over the BARE Conductive paint for our speaker concepts. In contrast, the cost of the YShield paint at “$89.95 per litre” would also need to be considered. The supplier of the paint is in the US, which may result in problems with the accessibility of the paint.

Less EMF (n.d). Less EMF. Retrieved from http://lessemf.com/paint.html.

SPI Supplies^® Brand Conductive Carbon Paint

The paint is made from “micrographite particles” which are “uniformly dispersed in isopropanol”. The paint and has also has a “small amount” of “polymer” in the recipe to give “extra adhesive” qualities. The liquid air-dries at “room temperature” making it easy to use for a range of applications.

SPI (n.d). SPI. Retrieved from http://www.2spi.com/catalog/spec_prep/cond_paints3.php.