Implementation of lead-free products will increase cleaning

Recent studies by ZESTRON have concluded that the emergence of lead-free products will significantly increase the need for cleaning within the precision electronics industry.

"The use of alternative solvents with higher boiling points, increased rosin contents as well as more aggressive activators will change the particular application needs in the context of cleaning," said Umut Tosun, Application Technology Manager at ZESTRON America.

This study, which involved the 40 latest lead-free solder paste formulations, revealed that the removal of flux residues from soldered assemblies provided very satisfactory cleaning results.  In addition to flux residues, ZESTRON was also able to fully remove uncured, lead-free pastes from stencils and misprinted assemblies.  Solvent and MPC-based products were used to conduct all trials.