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Cleaning strength is measured by the Kari-Butanol rating of the solvent, shown on MicroCare product specifications as the “Kb number.” (Some competitors do not offer Kb ratings on their products, which we find odd.) A rating of 20 or so is mild while anything over 70 is a aggressive solvent that will probably not be…
Grasping a few techniques can save time and moneyThe use of fiber optics in the medical industry has steadily increased over the past decade. From extensive medical applications including light therapy, arthroscopic surgery, x-ray imaging, ophthalmic lasers and lab and clinical diagnostics, to simple communication methods such as transmitting patient information, fiber optics help medical…
Grasping a few techniques can save time and moneyThe use of fiber optics in the medical industry has steadily increased over the past decade. From extensive medical applications including light therapy, arthroscopic surgery, x-ray imaging, ophthalmic lasers and lab and clinical diagnostics, to simple communication methods such as transmitting patient information, fiber optics help medical…
The No-Clean Flux Remover – VeriClean™ (#MCC-DC1) works great on “no clean” materials. However, a newer formulation from MicroCare — the VOC-Free Flux Remover – UltraClean™ (#MCC-VOC10A) — is an excellent choice and some users report the fast-drying, nonflammable General Purpose Flux Remover – Flux Remover C (#MCC-FRC) delivers good results as well.The UltraClean™ products is a radically different cleaning formulation…
Some companies buy the purest IPA they can get, which is called “reagent grade” IPA. They use this to try to solve the fiber cleaning problem.But I believe that the purchase of 99.9% “reagent grade IPA” is a waste of money and effort. Here’s the ‘little secret’ about reagent-grade IPA: since it is the most…
This presentation is based on a webinar about cleaning fiber. It offers a look at the best practices used to minimize the problems that static can cause on end-faces. Viewed by more than 800 attendees, the presentation explains the puzzling origins of the static on a fiber end-face. It then shows the problems that static…
An early PCB cleaning plan helps produce better boards. Good PCB (printed circuit board) design practices are critical in order to deliver a board that performs as intended. When designing a PCB, there are many factors an engineer must consider. Everything from properly orienting the components on the PCB to carefully routing the signal traces…
Why do engineers like dip-and-brush so much? Because they THINK it works fine and it appears to be inexpensive. Many don't know there are better alternatives to IPA and a brush. In fact, there are three things wrong with dip-and-brush cleaning: the process, the tool and the solvent. Let's take a look...If You Can't Rinse,…
Automated stencil printing is the heart of modern SMT production. The typical SMT line runs at 90-95% yield because the stencil printer is an incredibly challenging process to manage. Industry experts estimate that there are over three dozen different stencil printing parameters or variables that must be controlled. The whole system is so complex —…
“Stacked tolerances” is a term that describes a production problem in the engineering of medical devices when the cumulative effects of allowable variation aggregate towards a single vector or dimension. Normally, variances are expected to “average out” towards a design ideal. However, it is common — especially with injection-molded parts — to see tolerances gradually…