Buying the Right PCBA Cleaning Machine

1. Buying the Right PCBA Cleaning Machine Most of the challenges in cleaning PCBs are well-known. The electronics manufacturing industry needs clean and assembled PCBs to avoid any interference in how the final product works. Contaminants, adhesives, and solder flux residue must be removed completely from densely populated PCBs, including beneath components that are close to the board. Cleaning equipment, machines, and processes have evolved over the years to accomplish this quite satisfactorily. Picking the right PCBA cleaning machine ensures a non-contaminated, clean, and standards-compliant PCB. This blog post will help you in choosing the right cleaning machine. ZQ-600 Inline PCBA Cleaning Machine Assembled PCBs may have a lot of contaminants from the manufacturing processes undergone. So cleaning is the most essential process after the actual assembly. It is not just a matter of aesthetics but requires dealing with iconic contamination too. The cleaning of the machine is done in several stages. It is done before soldering and stenciling to remove contaminants from previous production stages and again after the soldering and stenciling process to remove solder paste, corrosive flux residues, and excess adhesives. www.1clicksmt.com Page 1

2. Points to tick off before making a purchase….. Technically, there are a number of points that need to be evaluated before purchasing a PCBA cleaning machine. Let’s have a look upon them one by one. As per the cleaning requirements, spray under immersion, ultrasonic, or dishwasher type machines can be selected. Identifying the correct water-based cleaning chemical is essential too. Water-base flux removers work by saponification and neutralizing the flux acids. They involve multiple stages to complete the cleaning process, which includes a two-stage rinse process and a final drying stage. The chemical composition of the contaminants is based on the solder paste used, the PCB type, the number of flux cycles the PCB has gone through before cleaning, the type of components, and the green and white mask on the PCB. So evaluation of the PCBA machine is always done keeping in mind the chemical required for the respective PCBs. HC-6S Pneumatic Stencil Cleaner As the component size gets decreased day-by-day, it is important to identify the new technologies in use before finalizing any machine so that the components do not get washed away during the process. www.1clicksmt.com Page 2

3. Other important factors to consider are:  The machine should be automatic to avoid operator intervention during the cleaning process.  The machine can be single or multi-chambered.  It should be capable of four processes at the minimum –cleaning, rinsing, drying, and filtration system.  The chemical cleaning tank must have a closed loop filtration system in order to reduce chemical consumption.  The machine should have an effective drying section to reduce the heating temperature as this result in lower heating stress on the PCB.  The machine should have low surface tension properties to dissolve and remove contaminants, good drying capability, and very good solvency power. Other features to consider include a statistical process control (SPC), barcode scanner, traceability, etc. Pneumatic Scarper and Misprinted PCBA Cleaner 1ClickSMT is the one-stop shop and leading supplier of equipment and consumables to the electronics assembly industry. From reflow ovens to simple PCB handling conveyors, wave soldering machine to soldering robot, and conformal coating materials to conformal coating machines, we have it all. www.1clicksmt.com Page 3