Case Study: Reduced electricity use reduces production cost, lowers carbon footprint
maintain the wash bath concentration based function. This logged information reduce footprint by incorporating a high
keeping the cleaning process within the provides application and quality engineers level of performance and reliability into a
determined tolerance with minimal effort with quantifiable data. The collected smaller package.
and with captured data. data can be reviewed to ensure that the The problem with the majority of small
Process monitoring: With current and cleaning process is operating within the footprint inline cleaning systems is their
future electronic assemblies becoming upper and lower control limits that were performance limitations. Many users push
densely populated with miniaturized originally developed from SIR and ion the cleaning machine design limitations
components, qualifying a cleaning process chromatography cleanliness results. This by running right on the edge of a very
has become a long and costly procedure. provides manufactures with a cost effective narrow process window. Previously small
Highly dense assemblies populated with means for frequent quality assurance checks aqueous-based chemistry inline cleaners
low standoff components create difficult and reviewable board-based data, which can were designed by reducing the footprint
areas for fluid penetration not only also be used for process troubleshooting. of a larger design, but at the cost of lower
during the cleaning process but also when Drying: Dryer innovations remove all functionality and performance. Data
cleanliness tests are conducted. The days of moisture from dense substrates using high testing indicates that wash time is a critical
validating a cleaning process solely utilizing velocity, high temperature regenerative variable when removing flux residues
an ionograph are over. This is due to the blower technology with ElectroAir knives from highly dense circuit assemblies. This
lack of sufficient agitation and averaging to mechanically strip the water from the limiting factor forces greater consideration
of surface area when looking at ionic board. This high temperature air helps of the wash section and chemical isolation
contamination levels. The vast majority of maintain a constant board temperature zones when designing an optimal smaller
electronic manufacturers are now sending from the final rinse to the convection footprint cleaning machine.
assemblies to analytical labs for localized zones
12
. Two independently temperature The design of the small footprint
ion chromatography and SIR testing controlled convection zones are then used cleaner that addresses performance
when validating cleanliness levels of a new to evaporate the remaining water from the limitations utilizes the core platform used
product or a new cleaning process. While board. The use of heated convection drying on standard machines. The small footprint
this method provides the manufacturer provides manufacturers with test ready cleaning machine design maintains
a higher level of accuracy when checking assemblies at high throughput rates and the appropriate wash footprint while
assemblies for ionic contamination, a lower cost of operation when compared incorporating advancements in the pump,
this form of validation is too costly to to most standard air knife dryers. The nozzle and chemical isolation systems to
be used as a standard quality assurance dryer design is free from the typical belt provide a highly effective cleaning process.
test. Another reliable method used is a driven blowers that are used in most inline The reduction in footprint was carefully
destructive test in which components are cleaners. The technology utilizes direct designed ensuring a proper balance
removed to visually check for residues. drive blowers, which provide manufacturers within each section of the cleaner, thus
This again can be costly; products being with a more reliable process along with less providing users with a reliable and wide
cleaned are usually expensive in nature, so down time and maintenance. process window. One of the technology
again this is not a cost effective method for Smaller inline cleaner footprint: With advancements in the rinse section is the
frequent quality assurance testing. more OEMs outsourcing Class 2 and 3 use of oscillating nozzles that deliver a large
This has lead to the implementation assembly products to the highly competitive amount of kinetic energy to the product
of a new control system for monitoring contract electronic manufacturing at lower pressures, which allows for size
and tracking cleaning data (Figure 10). industry, every aspect of cost is considered, reduction in the rinse zones. The machine
The new control system is a Windows- including floor space. In low volume/high design provides users with a large process
based computer with powerful yet mix environments, such as the medical window without reducing performance
simple user interface software that and military electronic manufacturing by maintaining comparable pump, nozzle
utilizes digital and analog I/O control. sectors, process flexibility ranks higher manifold and dryer configurations.
This system provides complete control than shear throughput. Is smaller better?
that tracks all process set points for the Just as technology advancements are conclusion
entire cleaning process. The system made in electronic assembly designs, The pace of technology development
can be configured to data log process cleaning machine innovations allow and innovation has changed the way
parameters per board for future process greater performance and speed in a smaller customers and suppliers communicate and
traceability, or it can be set as a time- package. Cleaning machine advancements interact on a global scale. To understand
the jobs that customers need done,
suppliers identify customer needs that
cannot be done satisfactorily with current
solutions.
5
Working from the outside-in,
companies who supply pieces of the process
collaborate by looking at the world from
the customer’s perspective to understand
what the customer is trying to do and
identify product or process characteristics
for solving the customer’s job. Starting with
a deep insight into the job the customer
is trying to accomplish shifts the focus
Figure 10. Monitoring and tracking cleaning data.
from solutions that customers use to the
fundamental issues the customer is trying
34 – Global SMT & Packaging – October 2009 www.globalsmt.net
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