How Can I Clean a Spray Fluxer in a Wave Solder Machine?

Cleaning inside wave solder machines is a challenge. The heat turns any flux residues inside the machine into a nasty, black, burned-on sludge that can be very difficult to remove. The pallets, fingers, conveyors and other components also build-up this coating. It's very difficult to remove. In most wave solder machines, the big worry is the flammability of any solvent you select. Many companies use IPA as a finger cleaner, down in the back of the machine, but to use flammable solvents near a heat source is a recipe for a tragic accident. So let’s make this really easy: never, ever use flammable solvents in a wave solder machine . In addition, you need a cleaner that is noncorrosive and residue-free. No strong acids or alkaline cleaners can be allowed, plus you wouldn’t want those chemicals mixing, even slightly, with your fluxes. In addition, you need a cleaner that is relatively slow-drying, so the solvent has sufficient tack time to work on the flux residues. This eliminates many nonflammable cleaners like HFCs from DuPont and HFE solvents from 3M; they're great cleaners, but they’ll flash-dry so quickly the cleaning won’t get properly done. This leaves you with nonflammable, nuetral-pH, water-based hydrocarbon cleaners. The Reflow Oven Cleaner (#MCC-ROC) from MicroCare is a fine choice. It will work just fine in this application. Conveniently, it will use any latent heat in the wave soldering system to boost the cleaning power of the solvent.

Is There a Cleaning Process to Remove Residues and Build-Ups on Wave Solder Machine Pallets?

We often get questions about cleaning wave solder machines, the fingers on conveyors, and even the pallets used to carry the boards through the machine. One customer asked: Here's an example, “We are using wave solder pallets in our wave soldering system because there are SMT parts on the solder side. After the boards come out of the wave, we notice white marks (stains) building up on the pallets. We are using lead-free solder and no-clean flux. These marks seem excessive, is there any cleaning process available that will remove them?” This customer is correct that white residues and flux build-ups on the pallets and the boards are unattractive. Taken to extremes, you need to discard the pallets and replace them, but that is an unnecessary expense. To clean the pallets, use a strong, noncorrosive, slow-drying, aqueous-based cleaner. (You don’t want to use flammables around a wave solder machine, and the fast-drying solvents would evaporate too quickly around the heat of the systems.) While there are several good choices on the market, MicroCare makes an excellent product which is safe for people and the pallets. Our Reflow Oven Cleaner (#MCC-ROC) is nonflammable, slow-drying, and actually uses the heat of the pallet and the wave soldering system to improve it’s cleaning. The Oven Cleaner is available in refillable pump sprays, gallons, pails and drums. You also can use it on the machine itself, the conveyors, the fingers, and even in degreasing tanks to clean parts and chains. A water-based choice in a convenient presaturated wipe would be the Uncured Epoxy Remover (#MCC-EPXW).

Do I Need Gloves When Working With MicroCare Cleaners?

While casual and intermittent skin contact with most of the MicroCare cleaners does not represent a significant health risk, wearing gloves is certainly is a good practice, especially if skin contact is likely and prolonged. This is particularly true when cleaning stencils by hand, using the presaturated wipes . Gloves, splash goggles, aprons (when handling open drums) and safety shoes with steel toes are highly recommended. Common sense strongly recommends that prolonged or repetitive skin contact with any solvent or chemical should be avoided. After all, the MicroCare solvents are defluxers and degreasers. They are designed to remove oils and grease. This can result in the temporary drying, itching, swelling and roughening of the skin. This temporary irritation of sensitive skin is called temporary local dermatitis . Healing is rapid after the exposure ceases. But why work so hard? Wear gloves or finger cots and stop worrying about it. When using solvents for cleaning SMT stencils and other production equipment, most experts recommend the use of gloves Protective Clothing Enhances Worker Safety Whichever solvent you select, you should use gloves and other protective clothing if there is any risk of skin or eye contact. There is a very good web site which has excellent technical data about the huge array of glove choices available on the market. It’s organized by the Office of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS, formerly The Office of Radiation, Chemical & Biological Safety (ORCBS), at the Michigan State University) so it’s not tied to any one manufacturer or brand. When you identify a chemical it suggests the best type of glove to use. In the color chart, you’re looking for gloves rated in white or green. When selecting gloves, check the SDS sheet to get the EXACT chemical name or CAS number for the solvent you are using; different solvents require different types of gloves. As a general rule for MicroCare products, latex gloves work adequately. In some applications a more durable two-part glove might be necessary. Chose the powderless option if it is important to control nonvolatile residues in your production process. These are widely available from quality distributors everywhere. If you don’t have time to go to the ORCBS site, then select the best impervious gloves and protective clothing you can find if there is any risk of skin contact. Gloves, splash goggles, aprons (when handling open drums) and safety shoes with steel toes are highly recommended.

What Can I Use to Clean the Burned-On Fluxes in My Reflow Ovens and Wave Solder Machines?

Cleaning a wave solder machine -- or their surface mount cousins, giant SMT reflow ovens -- is a real pain. Most people use isopropyl alcohol for the job and it simply doesn't work very well. Here’s why: First, the insides of the machines become covered in spattered flux. Then those residues then get baked onto the inside of the machines. The high temperatures in the machines polymerize the fluxes, making the residues nearly impossible to remove with normal cleaning solutions. The flux condenser units on the biggest reflow ovens are the worst of all because not only does all the flux residue collect in them, they cook inside the machine for days or months and get really hard. Another reason is the chemical reaction between the alcohol and the flux. During cleaning, the alcohol actually “cures” the flux residues, making them harder to clean. Every time they are cleaned with IPA, they become even harder and more difficult to remove. In addition, the machines are typically hot — sometimes, very hot. You can either wait for them to cool or clean it while the machine is hot. Using a flammable solvent such as isopropyl alcohol on a hot oven is unsafe and strongly not recommended. Lastly, the machines are awkwardly shaped. It’s just miserable hard work to crawl inside one of these things and work upside-down with a solvent that’s not strong enough to do the job. There has to be a better way, and there is. MicroCare has formulated the Reflow Oven Cleaner (#MCC-ROC) for this chore. Available exclusively from MicroCare, this product is based on proprietary long-chain alcohols and water. It is completely nonflammable and is designed to work best when sprayed on a warm (not hot) oven. It dries fast, cleans great, is safe for people and the environment, and is priced affordably. Packaged in refillable pump sprays, the cleaner comes with a package of 100 rugged, lint-free wipes specifically chosen for the demanding requirements of oven cleaning.

What Cleans Soldering Pallets and Frames?

Cleaning a the frames and pallets that hold PCBs as they move through wave solder machines is difficult because the devices get very dirty very quickly. In addition, they are usually hot. And most people try to use isopropyl alcohol which doesn’t have much effect on such hardened residues. MicroCare has a product formulated specifically for these high-temperature problems. The Reflow Oven Cleaner (#MCC-ROC) is the ticket you need. Available exclusively from MicroCare, this product is based on proprietary long-chain alcohols. It is completely nonflammable, has great toxicity ratings, very low VOC content, low Global Warming Impact and enhances employee safety. It is designed to work best on warm (not hot; about 40ºC is best) pallets, after they’ve popped out of the oven. It also works great on wave solder machines, conveyors, the finger cleaning systems of wave solder machines, and as a general purpose degreaser in dip tanks. It dries fast, cleans great, is safe for people and the environment, and is priced affordably. Packaged in refillable pump sprays, the cleaner comes with a package of 100 rugged, lint-free wipes specifically chosen for the demanding requirements of oven cleaning.

How Can I Heat the Reflow Oven Cleaner to Use in a Dip Tank?

Many people have asked about using the Reflow Oven Cleaner (#MCC-ROC) in a big cleaning tank. Often customers have parts and conveyor chains they want to clean, and it’s easier to dump them into a tank and let them sit for a little while before scrubbing. The Oven Cleaner works great in this environment. But the Oven Cleaner works best when it is warm. The difference is amazing. When it is at room temperature, the Oven Cleaner barely removes residues at all. Warmed up to 40°C, it MELTS the fluxes away instantly. That’s why it is so great on the reflow ovens and wave solder machines: the heat of the oven makes the solvent more powerful, making it easy to clean. But how does somebody safely and inexpensively heat a pail of the Oven Cleaner? The answer is a simple tool called an “immersion heater.” An immersion heater is a simple dipping tank which holds and heats liquids to pre-set temperature and then sustains that temperature. The heater typically looks like a simple metal stick with a hook. They simply hang on the side of the tank, slowly heating the solvent. Immersion heaters have many uses. They are used to make hot drinks and to keep fish tanks warm — they are everywhere. One such immersion heater can raise a 30 gallon/120 liter tank from 65° F (15° C) to 105°F / 42° C in about one hour. A 100 gal./400 liter tank will take approx. 2.5 hrs. to warm up. The maximum temperature for the unit is 250° F /115° C. The unit requires up to 240 volts/single phase of AC power and works on both North American and International current. This heater will reach the bottom of a tank 36 inch/one meter deep. This particular heater is an “L” shape with the electronics in a top mounted housing. The heating probe simply hangs over the side and can be attached to the tank with clips. There are even optional “sludge legs” which hold the heater off the bottom of the tank. This prevents the build up of sludge from affecting the heater’s efficiency.

Reflow Oven Cleaner

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Product Information

The Reflow Oven Cleaner keeps ovens at their peak performance

Applications:

Ideal for routine maintenance
Melts away burned-on flux residues in reflow ovens and wave solder machines
Cleans solder pallets, baffles, heating elements, clamps, chains, drive gears and housings and wave fingers
Use for hand cleaning or in automatic brushing device in heat exchange units wave solder ovens
May be used on surface temperature 20-50°C / 68-122° F

Cleaning reflow ovens — in this case, a Heller unit — can be a challenge because of the flux residues that coat the inside of the machines

Features:

No flash point
Non-foaming, leaves no residue
VOC content: 31.9%
Chemical Family: Water-based
Low aroma
Cleans all solder paste and re-sondesned fluxes, including RMA, RA, no-clean and lead-free products
Biodegradable
Formulated free of any halogenated compounds
Short soak time
Speeds cleaning of ovens, even when warm
Activiated by the residual heat of the oven
Two-phase solution, must be shaken before use

Because this reflow oven cleaner is nonflammable you can clean the oven while it is still warm, saving time and enhancing the cleaning because warm solvents clean better than cold ones. This product is more effective than IPA for all flux residue types, reducing cleaning time by 50% or more while improving cleaning results and reducing potential cross contamination.

Cleaning is Easier over time:

Plus, Reflow Oven Cleaner avoids one of the big problems of alcohol cleaners — the curing and hardening of flux residues in the oven whereas ROC fully removes residues. Suitable for use in hand wipe applications, this cleaner reduces equipment down-time and lowers cleaning costs.

Convenient Packaging Options: The popular 'cubitainers' are easy to store on a shelf and feature a faucet-like valve so the fluid can be dispensed without lifting the container. Use with MicroCare lint-free cleaning wipes (MCC-W11) for best results. The noncorrosive fluid is ESD-safe and is safe to use on all metals, synthetics, plastics and elastomers. Money-saving, refillable pump-spray bottle is not TriggerGrip™ compatible.

Product Details

Part Number	Package	Weight	Size	Technical Data Sheet	Safety Data Sheet
ROC MCC-ROC	Pump Spray	0.34 kg 0.75 lb.	354 ml 12 oz.	TDS USA (ENGLISH) (opens in a new tab) Spanish (opens in a new tab)	SDS Lookup (opens in a new tab)
ROCG MCC-ROCG	Mini-cubitainer	3.17 kg 7 lbs.	3.8 L 1 Gallon	TDS USA (ENGLISH) (opens in a new tab) Spanish (opens in a new tab)	SDS Lookup (opens in a new tab)
ROCP MCC-ROCP	Cubitainer	13.6 kg 30 lbs.	19 L 5 Gallons	TDS USA (ENGLISH) (opens in a new tab) Spanish (opens in a new tab)	SDS Lookup (opens in a new tab)
ROCD MCC-ROCD	Drum	198 kg 436 lbs.	208 L 55 Gallons	TDS USA (ENGLISH) (opens in a new tab) Spanish (opens in a new tab)	SDS Lookup (opens in a new tab)

Part Number	MCC-ROC	MCC-ROCG	MCC-ROCP	MCC-ROCD
Package	Pump Spray	Mini-cubitainer	Cubitainer	Drum
Weight	0.34 kg 0.75 lb.	3.17 kg 7 lbs.	13.6 kg 30 lbs.	198 kg 436 lbs.
Size	354 ml 12 oz.	3.8 L 1 Gallon	19 L 5 Gallons	208 L 55 Gallons
Technical Data Sheet	TDS	TDS	TDS	TDS
Safety Data Sheet	SDS	SDS	SDS	SDS

Appearance	Clear, colorless liquid
Odor	Mild
PEL (ppm, 8-hr TWA)	Not available
Boiling Point	>99˚C / 210˚F
Chemical Family	Water-based
Evaporation Rate	Slow
Cleaning Strength (Kb)	High
Active Ingredients	Long-chain alcohols
Flashpoint	None
Global Warming Rating (100yr)	None
VOC Organic Content (g/L)	495 g/l
Ozone Impact	Zero
RoHS & WEEE Compliant
Safety Rating	Non-flammable
Specific Gravity	0.99
Surface Tension	Not Available
Vapor Density	Not Available
Viscosity	Not Available
Vapor Pressure @ 20ºC	3.1

Reflow Oven Cleaner

Product Information

Applications:

Features:

Cleaning is Easier over time:

Product Details

Safety Data Sheet

BULK

Technical Data Sheet

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