Kyzen will showcase AQUANOX® A4703 Neutral pH Aqueous Cleaning Chemistry in booth #7814 at the upcoming IPC Electronics Midwest Conference & Exhibition, scheduled to take place September 28-30, 2010 at the Donald E. Stevens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.

Major topics discussed were: Reasons for cleaning, cleaning challenges, cleaning media, cleaning equipment, measuring cleanliness and new cleaning trends.

ZESTRON has been actively supporting the SMTA's mission to build skills, share practical experiences and develop solutions within the electronics manufacturing industry for the past 12 years.

Aqueous Technologies Corp., North America's largest provider of batch defluxing systems, announces that it broke its all-time sales record with more than 31 machines sold during the month of July.

ZESTRON has announced that it will actively participate in the "Printed Circuit Assemblies Cleanliness Panel Discussion" sponsored by the SMTA's Tampa Bay Chapter.

The presentation will take place September 19, 2010 in Sydney, Australia and will review the major causes of residue-related failures including dendritic growth, electrical leakage and under-coating adhesion failures.

Smart Sonic, makers of the original ultrasonic stencil cleaner and the only cleaning system verified environmentally safe, user safe and effective by the U.S. EPA's Environmental Technology Verification Program, has launched a new education-oriented website to help disseminate published information regarding SMT stencil and misprinted PCB cleaning: http://www.smartsonic.com/.

After successfully launching the first virtual tour of its U.S. Technical Center, ZESTRON has published a second 360º tour of the company's European facility.

ZESTRON will exhibit the world's first pH-neutral defluxing cleaning agent at the upcoming NEPCON South China, August 31-September 2, 2010.

For the past two decades Smart Sonic has offered the only stencil cleaning process that has kept pace with the many changes driven by environmental regulations and technology's "faster, smaller, cheaper" syndrome.

The effect of post-reflow cleaning processes on creep corrosion are discussed in this paper from Alcatel-Lucent.The authors examine a laboratory MFG test that replicates field creep corrosion. Comparisons of creep corrosion susceptibility between OSP and ImAg PWB surface finishes are also made.

Solder drawn from a Cu6Sn5 crystal-saturated wave solder pot can solidify into joints whose surface finish exhibits many needle-like metallic protrusions. Part II of this paper documents failures caused by this phenomenon, the investigation that identified the root cause of the problem and the rework techniques used to prevent its occurrence.

The popularity of HDI is rising. Solder jet printing and cold attachment rival traditional solder printing. Manufacturers are building smaller and smaller quantities--even batches of one! What does this all mean for traditional AOI? Part II of this paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of AOI given significant changes in PCB materials and manufacturing methods.

New innovations in batch and in-line systems, combined with more effective chemistries, have made cleaning printed circuit boards (PCBs), stencils, and bare boards more cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and energy efficient.

The Sonochemistry Centre at Coventry University has developed a fundamental understanding of ultrasound technology which has led to several other potential applications in electronics manufacturing--not just cleaning!

Visiting the circuit board section of productronica this year can be likened to visiting an old friend who has not been at all well.

Our roadmap consists of several key factors: type of flux, type of assembly, product flow, volume, staff competency, facility restrictions, environmental restrictions, and budget.

When a soldering specialist meets a contamination and cleanliness specialist, look out for a lively debate. At APEX, Steve Gold introduced Eric Camden, of Foresite Inc., to Guest Editor Jasbir Bath and stood back while they discussed causes and cures of contamination-related field failures.

Bixenman commented that over the last decade, cleaning of assemblies had followed its own variant of Moore’s Law, with denser assemblies and lower component standoffs presenting a whole new generation of challenges.

A record-setting 143 attendees got their hands dirty as they delved into the world of electronics assembly cleaning at the IPC and SMTA cleaning symposium. Much of the content shared was content not seen before--presenters provided new research and fresh perspectives on cleaning.

Trade shows and conferences are vital to the PCB assembly world. Where else can you meet so many potential customers and suppliers? Still, you can't make every industry event, and if you can’t be there, our Real Time With... video coverage is the next best thing to being there.

I-Connect007's Real Time with... has produced over 3,000 video interviews, conference presentations and product reviews at major events around the world. Past events include IPC APEX Expo, productronica, IPC Midwest, SMTA International, Mexitronica, NEPCON China and many more.

With the marriage of I-Connect007 and SMT Magazine, the group of industry experts on hand to guide our readers through news, events, controversies, solutions and more--in every aspect of the electronics industry--has grown to an impressive list.

We've made it our mission to bring readers in-depth technical content from leading companies, organizations and associations to broaden expertise and understanding of the issues at the forefront of readers' minds. Tune in each week for new content from industry leaders around the globe.

The effect of post-reflow cleaning processes on creep corrosion are discussed in this paper from Alcatel-Lucent.The authors examine a laboratory MFG test that replicates field creep corrosion. Comparisons of creep corrosion susceptibility between OSP and ImAg PWB surface finishes are also made.

In response to the editor’s question, “how do you clean PCB assemblies?” that was posed in the May/June issue of SMT, Jade Bridges of Electrolube describes the relationship between no-clean PCBs and coating adhesion. The relationship is not good. Bridges explains why dewetting and poor adhesion can occur.

Trident OneShot is designed to provide automatic cleaning (defluxing), cleanliness testing, and drying of post-reflow circuit assemblies.

Solder drawn from a Cu6Sn5 crystal-saturated wave solder pot can solidify into joints whose surface finish exhibits many needle-like metallic protrusions. Part II of this paper documents failures caused by this phenomenon, the investigation that identified the root cause of the problem and the rework techniques used to prevent its occurrence.

The popularity of HDI is rising. Solder jet printing and cold attachment rival traditional solder printing. Manufacturers are building smaller and smaller quantities--even batches of one! What does this all mean for traditional AOI? Part II of this paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of AOI given significant changes in PCB materials and manufacturing methods.

As part of this issue's cover story, p.6, we queried readers about your PCB cleaning habits.

New product development drives our industry. Chemistry, the foundation of cleaning agent innovation, can seem like a black box, but it shapes the electronics industry.

When a soldering specialist meets a contamination and cleanliness specialist, look out for a lively debate. At APEX, Steve Gold introduced Eric Camden, of Foresite Inc., to Guest Editor Jasbir Bath and stood back while they discussed causes and cures of contamination-related field failures.

Bixenman commented that over the last decade, cleaning of assemblies had followed its own variant of Moore’s Law, with denser assemblies and lower component standoffs presenting a whole new generation of challenges.

In this issue of SMT, I wrote about cleaning, but there just wasn’t enough room to include everything.

Over the years, many companies have tried to bring customers to their facility and provide them with everything under one roof.

Back in the “good old days,” stencil cleaning was effortless and effective.

During new product qualification, process engineers strive to increase efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Over the past several years, post-reflow defluxing of circuit assemblies has gained in popularity.

The decision to remove flux and other residues from post-reflowed circuit assemblies has been the subject of debate for years.

The first Roman baths were built around 312 B.C.