-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueBox Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
Boost Your Sales
Every part of your business can be evaluated as a process, including your sales funnel. Optimizing your selling process requires a coordinated effort between marketing and sales. In this issue, industry experts in marketing and sales offer their best advice on how to boost your sales efforts.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
New Products for Cleaning Stencils, PCBs, and Labs
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
These are the new cleaning materials, wipes, and equipment used to remove flux residues from reflowed boards, solder paste from stencils, contaminants from the manufacturing area, and other unwanted materials from electronics assemblies and associated tooling.
Stencil Cleaning MaterialCobar MCI-2330 stencil cleaning agent removes solder paste and adhesive residues from all stencil types. The cleaner can be used in immersion and ultrasonic cleaning equipment, for cleaning stencils and printed circuit assemblies. It reportedly emits low odor and is non-hazardous; transportable without limitations by land, sea, and air. It is designed to improve efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs. Cobar, a member of the Balver Zinn Group, www.cobar.com and www.balverzinn.com.
Improved WipesAll friendly green pre-saturated wipes now are manufactured from the company's own cotton, non-woven fabric. This change will replace the current Novatech NT1 material used in the product. Updates include more absorbency, inherently less static discharge, softer/less abrasive to prevent scratches, fully biodegradable, no melting on hot surfaces, no binders or additives, low lint, and made from cultivated crop with no wood pulp/cellulose. This product is used as an alternative to pre-saturated IPA wipes for hand cleaning of stencils in the SMT process, as well as a general degreaser for industrial applications, and still contains the Simple Green VOC-free, environmentally friendly cleaning chemistry. Additionally, the wipes boast packaging that allows for one hand opening, wipe retrieval, and closing, as well as a tight seal to reduce evaporation. High Tech Conversions, www.friendlygreen.org.
Bath Concentration Monitoring ToolZESTRON Bath Analyzer helps users monitor their actual cleaning bath concentration to reduce overall consumption. The ZESTRON Bath Analyzer has been developed to supplement the use of refractometers and it reportedly offers better process control in a cost-effective manner. It is confirmed to be almost as accurate as gas chromatography. Total process time is about 10 minutes, without needing to cool down the cleaning bath. It helps minimizes the overall consumption of the cleaning bath by keeping the concentration at the initially required values with a certainty of up to 100%. It reportedly guarantees steady concentration values. ZESTRON America, infousa@zestron.com; www.zestron.com.
Contact Cleaning SystemNanocleen contact cleaning system offers advanced contamination and static control features. The Nanocleen system is based on a proprietary roller and adhesive roll. The polymer roller can remove particles down to 25 nm in size. The roller reportedly removes 2550% more particles than other contact cleaners. It dissipates static as well as removing contamination. Static is reduced by a factor of 10 compared to traditional contact cleaners. The roller and adhesive roll are 100% silicone free. Traditional rollers and adhesive rolls contain silicones that can potentially contaminate the production line. The Nanocleen system can be fitted to old and new versions of the Teknek Clean Machine as well as other makes of contact cleaning machine using an optional upgrade kit. Teknek, www.nanocleen.info.
In-line CleanerHydroJet Solar high-speed, in-line aqueous cleaning system is designed for solar panel manufacturing, removing residues such as sand blast media, cuttings, water soluble residue, or other loose debris from panels up to 24 × 48" using water. It does not damage sensitive thin materials on glass. The HydroJet Solar features a closed-loop, high top and bottom wash stage with in-line 10-µm fluid filtration. The wash section uses a 7.5 HP seal-less pump and a 70 gallon tank with optional heat or chemical metering. The wash is followed with a jet stripper to remove washing fluids and return them to the impingement wash tank. A high impact rinse and a final tap, RO or DI clean rinse completes the rinsing process. The loop can be closed via an ion exchange column. The proprietary high-speed dryer removes water quickly without heat or evaporation, using high-velocity air filtered to less than 1-µm. Computer modeled fluid dynamics design enables process conveyor speeds of up to 8 feet per minute yielding process times of less than two minutes on a 5 × 15' footprint. The body is constructed of high-density polypropylene. The conveyor is designed for minimal bottom contact and comes with a standard SMEMA automation protocol package with sensors. Austin American Technology Corporation, www.aat-corp.com.
Closed-loop Cleaning SystemThis system eliminates the need to manually scrape and wipe solder paste from hardware such as squeegees and misprinted boards, and eliminates the need for saturated wipes. It has a "mini-car-wash" function with push-button activation and no external spraying or chemical exposure. The system is hermetically sealed to prevent vapors and discharge of unwanted materials in and around the SMT printer. It re-circulates the cleaning fluid and traps washed solder paste in an accessible catch basin. The design is lightweight, compact, and portable, allowing users to pick it up and move it to any line or area needing attention. Transition Automation Inc., www.transitionautomation.com.
Aerosol Contact Cleaner3M Novec Contact Cleaner Plus is a non-flammable aerosol cleaner that removes oil, grease, and silicones in sensitive electronics. The product is compatible with plastics and meets the new California Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) regulation for electrical cleaners. It contains 95% active solvent and suits connectors, printed circuit boards, electromechanical devices, scales, relays and circuit breakers needing a fast-drying, non-conductive cleaner. Non-flammable, it is formulated with 3M Novec 7200 engineered fluid. 3M, www.3m.com/novec.
Fluid Delivery SystemMicroJet cleaners are equipped with Progressive Energy Dynamics (patent pending), an efficient cleaning fluid delivery system for in-line cleaning of electronics assemblies. The MicroJet FC Inline Cleaning System delivers the maximum impingement energy and fluid flow around and under SMT components. Independently targeted, precision flow jets impact all four sides of circuit card assemblies and SMT components as they travel through the wash. Progressive Energy Dynamics' optimized impingement force and flow management enable the MicroJet FC in-line cleaning system to clean low stand-off BGAs and microBGAs. Aqueous Technologies Corporation, www.aqueoustech.com.