Kathie: What you are proposing will certainly work. However if you are a
small volume operation can you really afford to put inline cleaners on each
line? Sounds expensive from a capital $ outlay and like a lot maintenance.
Don't forget even a "small footprint" inline cleaner must be sized right to
do a proper job of both cleaning and drying the assembly.
My guess is management after looking at the real cost will opt for better
coordination between the reflow and wash areas.

We considered this approach a while back and it didn't make good sense at
the time.  Just my thoughts


Regards

Michael Barmuta

Staff Engineer

Fluke Corp.

Everett WA

425-446-6076

-----Original Message-----
From: Lambert, Katherine A. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2002 6:11 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [TN] Where's your cleaning equipment?


Hi folks,

We are in the process of rethinking the configuration of our automated
lines.  Currently, after reflow, boards are loaded into magazines and onto
carts and transported to the cleaning room, which houses our cleaning
equipment including an in-line cleaner.  Although no one wants to admit it,
it may be several hours or several days before the boards get cleaned (big
shudder).  Several of us are giving thought to putting small footprint
in-line cleaners at the end of the reflow ovens.  We are fairly small
volume, but high mix house.  On a good day, boards come out of the reflow
ovens once every 2-3 minutes.  We know that there are some technical issues
to resolve - making sure boards aren't too hot going into the cleaner,
aligning them after cleaning & before the magazine loader, etc.

The questions I have are:
1.  Does anyone out there actually have this sort of cleaning configuration
& how has it worked?
2.  Is this totally crazy?
3.  Is there anything else I need to consider (other than the safety &
industrial hygiene sorts of things)?

Thanks,

Kathie Lambert
SMT Process Engineer
Northrop Grumman
Baltimore, MD

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