Misprint Cleaning
As the value of double-sided PCB assemblies continue to rise, it becomes increasingly important for manufacturers to be able to recoup their cost from the assembly when a misprint occurs on the B-side (A-side was successfully printed and components placed and soldered, and when a misprint occurs during the printing process on the B-side).
Typically, the cleaning of misprints occurs by hand wiping the misprinted side or cleaning in a conventional stencil type cleaner. Concerns with this approach include:
- Wiping the misprinted side can wedge or trap solder paste in the solder mask, through-hole vias, and/or into other geometries;
- Numerous quality problems can occur due to lack of control and definition;
- Traditional stencil cleaning machines are designed to remove wet solder paste from stencils. Most stencil cleaning processes do not rinse the stencil with water, or may utilize reused water that can include trace levels of metals;
- Cleaning a production board in a machine designed to clean stencils may result in failure to meet ionic cleanliness standards;
- The stencil cleaning agent is typically not adequate for cleaning reflowed flux residues from the A-side of the assembly.
Electrovert Aquastorm™ series cleaners (in-line and batch) offer a misprint cleaning feature. This consists of a multi-stage filtration system designed to filter to 5 microns (suitable for a Type 5 solder paste). This feature captures and prevents solder spheres from being re-deposited onto the product. Thus, it provides the ability to deflux side A and clean the misprinted side-B at the same time without solder sphere contamination.
Aquastorm series cleaners with the misprint feature are used in multiple cleaning applications:
- PCB assembly
- Defluxing
- Portable device cleaning
- High reliability electronics manufacturing
- Microelectronics
- Semiconductor
- Specialty applications
Cleaning Machines:
Aquastorm 200 SST In-line PCB Cleaner | Aquastorm 200 In-line PCB Cleaner
Aquastorm 100 In-line PCB Cleaner | Aquastorm 60 In-line PCB Cleaner
Aquastorm 50 Batch PCB Cleaner | Aquastorm FSM (Free Standing Module) PCB Cleaner
MicroCel Centrifugal Cleaner
Batch cleaning is the process of cleaning multiple parts or ‘batches of parts’ as a group where process cycle times are controlled. Batch type cleaners are used in numerous applications throughout the entire semiconductor manufacturing and PCB assembly industries.
In the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing industries, enhanced reliability continues to be a focus of manufacturers and cleaning is seen as a solution.
In the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing industries, enhanced reliability continues to be a focus of manufacturers and cleaning is seen as a solution.
As high reliability printed circuit boards become more dense and complex, PCB assemblers are seeking ways to enhance reliability. Cleaning is viewed as a process solution. Defluxing is the cleaning process designed to remove solder flux and by-products from the PCB assembly.
Drying is the process of removing any residual liquid from the surfaces of washed and rinsed parts. Drying is a critical and expensive stage of the cleaning process, especially for PCB assemblies. The importance of drying is determined by post-cleaning process step requirements.
Electrovert® offers a range of award-winning technologies, products, and features for a wide range of cleaning and drying applications.
In-line cleaning is a method of cleaning in which assemblies are processed continuously on a conveyor system and cleaning cycle times are controlled by the conveyor speed.
The Electrovert® Aquastorm™ series precision cleaning machines are designed to provide superior cleaning and drying performance, complete cleaning process flexibility and monitoring, all with unparalleled reliability.
The Electrovert® Aquastorm™ series precision cleaning machines are designed to provide superior cleaning and drying performance, complete cleaning process flexibility and monitoring, all with unparalleled reliability.
Electrovert® Aquastorm™ precision cleaning systems provide superior cleaning and drying performance, complete cleaning process flexibility, process monitoring, and reliability.