Medical Electronics


How to successfully clean complex medical PCBs


By Emily Peck, senior chemist at MicroCare LLC T


echnological advancements in electronic medical devices are generating industry growth. Demand for portable healthcare solutions is increasing as remote medical management now plays a bigger role. Covid-19 is changing the landscape of healthcare delivery and the way in which patients are diagnosed, treated and monitored. The rising challenge of the pandemic has increased the need to implement remote monitoring solutions. Portable electronic devices are applied to gather health data like glucose level, blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs. This allows important observations to move outside the hospital setting, reducing the pressure on healthcare facilities and minimising in-person contact. The general population is also paying more attention to their health and wellbeing and investing in wearable technology. This all adds up to the surge within the medical electronics sector. The global wearable medical devices market size was valued at USD 16.6 billion in 2020. This is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.8% from 2021 to 2028. The growth of industries such as home healthcare and remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices is anticipated to influence market growth. In addition, increasing focus on fitness and a healthy lifestyle are also expected to impact the market. The increasing demand for wearables and RPM calls for extremely complex electronics with more functions and increased portability. PCBs must be smaller and lighter but still contain the circuitry required to power these highly technical medical devices. The problem, however is that the smaller and more densely packed the PCB, the more difficult it is to manage faults, quality and long-term reliability.


Cntaminatin aects reliailit Contamination is a big factor on PCB reliability and is more of a challenge as the move to miniaturised electronics increases. These complex, multi-layered PCBs contain many


16 May 2021


components squeezed in to shrinking footprints. This makes contaminants such as flux residue or


fingerprints difficult to remove from condensed intricate geometries. The smallest contaminant can form a barrier between electrical contacts resulting in malfunction. This is why precision PCB cleaning is critical.


Contaminated PCBs can have devastating consequences to medical electronic devices and the patients using them. Think pacemakers for example. If these were to fail, the result could be devastating. For this reason, strict regulations are in place like the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)


guarantees the cleanliness of the device, but also fulfils economic and regulatory conditions required within this stringent sector.


Clean and dr


Vapour degreasers offer a simple, repeatable process that is effective at removing contaminants, whether it is general production debris, or hard to remove residue left by lead- free and no-clean fluxes and solder pastes.


Importantly, vapour degreasing finishes the cleaning process by effectively drying the components. PCBs emerge from the vapour degreaser dry and spot-free. This is important when cleaning medical electronics since the slightest amount of moisture remaining in hard-to-reach areas can encourage the growth of bacteria resulting in bioburden risk. Modern cleaning fluids also dry very quickly. Therefore, the fluid can easily evaporate from small, tightly packed PCBs whereas slower-drying solvents, or water from aqueous cleaning solutions, could become trapped. If moisture is left behind, problems including corrosion, delamination, electrochemical migration and dendrite growth can occur. If not properly addressed, it can result in increased complications during product validation, meeting regulatory requirements and impacting the long-term reliability of the finished device.


mplement eective cleaning t trepr prdctin


Vapour Degreaser: Vapour degreaser cleaning reduces the risk of bioburden.


60601-1 standard. This standard specifies that the basic safety and essential performance of medical devices are maintained. Cleaning is also one of the central practices to help to meet the new EU Medical Device Regulations (EU MDR; ref., EU 2017/745).


Electronic medical device companies value safety, quality and reliability in order to minimise liability and maximise performance and profits. Some of the challenging performance issues can be reduced or eliminated with correct cleaning of the PCBs. One method that meets the cleaning challenge is vapour degreasing. This process not only


Although vapour degreasers have been in use for over 90 years, the cleaning fluids used within them have advanced considerably. The low viscosity and surface tension ratings of modern cleaning fluids, combined with their volatility, allow them to clean very effectively. This is particularly true for the miniature, compact and complex PCBs used within wearable medical devices. Most vapour degreasing fluids are also very heavy and dense, further aiding in dislodging contaminant from around and under components. Modern, non-flammable and


Data synchronization: Portable electronic medical devices are gaining wider acceptance


Components in Electronics


environmentally progressive cleaning fluids specifically designed for a vapour degreasing system can make a substantial enhancement to performance, reliability and longevity of PCBs. They are lab-tested and certified to ensure the cleaning results are reliable and consistent. Vitally, these innovative fluids have helped reduce the risk of bioburden both on the manufacturing floor and on the finished product. This is a critical requirement when validating medical devices and the manufacturing process used.


As the demand for wearable and RPM devices continues to grow, the need for high-reliability critical cleaning becomes even more important. This means implementing effective cleaning


Miniature PCB: Vapour degreasing is ideal for cleaning compact or complex PCBs.


methods and using innovative fluids that can meet the challenge of cleaning today’s complex PCBs, as well as address regulatory requirements and validation conditions specified within medical manufacturing. To reach and exceed this challenge, choose vapour degreasing and progressive next-generation cleaning fluids. This technology helps ensure successful critical cleaning and helps reduce the risk of malfunction and ensuring patient safety.


microcare.com www.cieonline.co.uk


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