Built for 300 °C, Aggressive Cleaning and ESD-Sensitive PCB Manufacturing

PCB manufacturing puts identification labels through an unusually demanding combination of processes.

A label may pass through reflow or wave soldering, encounter flux and aggressive cleaning agents, and experience repeated temperature cycles — all while sitting close to ESD-sensitive electronic components.

A label that survives high temperature but loses its printed image during washing is not enough. Neither is a durable label that introduces unwanted electrostatic charge.

Polyonics APEX XF-101SE is designed for this combination of challenges.

Heat and chemical resistance

XF-101SE uses a 1 mil / 25 µm polyimide facestock designed for demanding electronics-manufacturing processes and temperatures up to 300 °C. Its construction is optimized for resistance to:

• Reflow and high-temperature processing
• IPA
• Flux
• PCB cleaning agents
• Repeated washing and process cycles

The printable surface also supports high-resolution thermal-transfer printing, helping maintain the clarity of small characters and dense barcodes.

ESD-controlled by construction

But temperature and chemical resistance are only part of the story.

XF-101SE also combines a low-charge acrylic adhesive, ESD surface coating and low-charge release construction, making it suitable for applications where electrostatic charge needs to be controlled around sensitive PCB assemblies, ICs and electronic components.

Typical applications include PCB traceability, SMT manufacturing, semiconductor production, automotive electronics and other ESD-controlled environments.

XF-101SE is specified with RoHS and REACH compliance and UL 969 recognition.

For electronics manufacturers, the key benefit is clear: one label designed to maintain identification through heat, chemicals, washing and ESD-sensitive processes.

XF-101SE samples are available for process evaluation.