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Consumer electronics companies require components from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to not only perform faultlessly, but to be perfectly clean as well. Cleanliness standards and processes must be applied when outsourcing goods to ensure the products do not fail. This is particularly significant with the increasing miniaturization of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and the complex…

Many small-component PCBs (printed circuit boards) are assembled today with no-clean solder pastes. No-clean solders speed up the manufacturing process by eliminating the need for cleaning circuit boards after reflow. The solder paste did not need removal and stayed in place without any detrimental effect to the function, performance and planned life expectancy of the…

The manufacturing challenge of COVID-19 is to provide greater social distancing recommended by health agencies while maintaining or improving capacity and productivity. Protecting workers is critical and can be done with factory automations that allow both safer worker distancing and manufacturing efficiencies. Automated parts cleaning with vapor degreasing answers this challenge.With one operator running the entire…

This is a detailed, 25-page PowerPoint about the unique cleaning issues associated with military fiber optic connectors. It offers a very cogent explanation of the sources of contamination on fiber end-faces, and in particular the problems with cross-contamination. It explains, with microphotographs, the method by which click-to-clean tools work and highlights differences between inferior cleaning tools…

MicroCare and our Critical Cleaning Lab lead the way on safety regulations and company compliance with all the changing rules. Still using  old-style legacy solvents? Or wasteful, high-pressure aerosol sprays? Are your solvents REACH and F-Gas compliant? Struggling with VOCs in today's low-VOC world? Or slow, expensive and energy-hungry aqueous cleaners? It's time to make…

HCFC-225 was an “Class II” ozone-depleting substance and is no longer made in the USA or Japan. In the 1980s, in response to the depletion of the ozone layer, more than 100 nations worked together on a treaty called “the Montreal Protocol.” This treaty set the rules for eliminating ozone-depleting substances around the globe.  The first…

Genesolv 2004, Arklone 141b and other cleaners based on the hydrochlorofluorocarbon molecule HCFC-141b has been phased-out of production and is no longer available from MicroCare and other reputable firms.  On a label or MSDS sheet you might see brand names such as “Genesolv®” or “Forane.” The cleaner’s precise chemical name is dichlorofluoroethane and it usually…

AK-225 is also called HCFC-225 and has now been phased-out across most of the world. It would not be a good choice for modern cleaning processes.To be fair, it has a few good points. It’s a moderately powerful. It works well in vapor degreasers. It is not flammable. It is not as aggressive on plastics…

A large electronics OEM near Chicago, Illinois was concerned about their stencil printing costs. Despite their best efforts, they observed persistent stencil printing problems which led to increased rework, reduced through-put and added costs. To respond to this situation, and as a general effort of “continuous improvement” they developed and deployed a systematic, reliable stencil…

That's a simple question with a complex answer. The fact is that customers want lots of choices and a wide array of options. PCBs are changing, too — the way we made electronics in the 1970s has nothing in common with the advanced microelectronics being sold today; it makes sense that cleaning would evolve as…