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Streaks or spots of white residues left behind on PCBs are often indicators of using an improper cleaning solvent or flux remover.To select a PCB cleaning fluid or flux remover to remove the white residues, use this very simplified progression from the mildest cleaners to the strongest. Starting with the mildest cleaner is recommended since it…
White residues are the bane of the electronics industry. The white residues themselves usually (but not always) are salts, which are the “activators” in the fluxes. When these salts meet heat or other chemicals, white residues can result. These residues can corrode delicate circuits. There are dozens of different possible sources — the boards, the…
Water-soluble fluxes are also called organic acid (OA) fluxes. These are fluxes primarily composed of organic materials other than rosin or resin. Water-soluble fluxes and pastes provide good soldering results and bright solder joints because they are highly activated fluxes. This means they have good wetting action and a strong ability to prepare a clean surface for…
Some PCB makers are using the dip-and-brush method to clean circuit boards during rework and repair. However this process doesn't allow you to easily rinse contamination off the PCBs after they are scrubbed.Other companies use high-pressure aerosols to blast the contamination off the board, but that often wastes cleaning fluid due to overspray.At MicroCare, we think…
At MicroCare, nothing is more important than safety. An important part of a strong safety program is understanding “toxicity ratings” for chemicals. This FAQ explains toxicity ratings and suggests how savvy engineers can use this information to improve safety in their facility.What is a Good Score?In the solvent world, chemists measure chemical safety in terms…
MicroCare offers an enormous array of different cleaning chemistries, tailored to different applications. Australia has stringent new rules about the importation of ozone-depleting substances and global warming substances, so not every MicroCare product is acceptable in that country. Your best choices are the low-GWP products which also are used in Europe. These include: Polar Flux…
The life span of an aerosol can being used on the benchtop varies by the amount of cleaning that is performed and the skill of the operator doing the cleaning. But — and this is important — the key is to let those operators use the TriggerGrip™ dispensing system. In general, the TriggerGrip™system will double or…
The correct answer is, it depends on (a) what you are cleaning, (b) how much you are cleaning and (c) how well trained your people are.If your people are using the TriggerGrip™ dispensing system it should double or even triple the life of an aerosol can. This means in a normal manufacturing environment, where a traditional high-pressure…
Why would anybody want to clean no-cleans? Well, it happens all the time. Cleaning delicate circuitry is easy with MicroCare solvents, even when no-clean fluxes are used. Probably most of the companies using the No-Clean Flux Remover - VeriClean™, the Alcohol-Enhanced Flux Remover - ProClean™ sales and almost all of our Lead-Free Flux Remover -…
'Hygroscopic' is a chemical term which describes a behavior of certain chemicals. Hygroscopic chemicals absorb water; they love water. They want to pick up water molecules out of the air. Normal isopropyl alcohol (IPA, or rubbing alcohol) is infinitely hygroscopic.Why is that important? Because solvents which carry water as a contaminant generally are weaker and…