Tom,

Good point.  Historically we do not have a cleanliness target.  Guess
I'll have to pick one now.

We have a Mini-Max here to try for spot cleaning applications.

Phil 

-----Original Message-----
From: Gervascio, Thomas [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 3:00 PM
To: TechNet E-Mail Forum; Phil Nutting
Subject: RE: [TN] no-clean flux residue on connector pins

The CM would like to go to an OA flux- soldering is easier but I would
advise against it- if it's not cleaned thoroughly a lot of things can
happen and most of them are not good. There can be issues with ROL0 or
ROM0 fluxes- the RMAs and no cleans- if the flux is not thermally
activated but I have seen corrosion and solder joint etching from
improperly cleaned OA materials. 

I have been a CM in my past life and I always preferred qualifying my
process to the customer requirements rather than trying to constantly
change processes for different customers. The confusion on the factory
floor always caused problems. 

I did see a benchtop system- Mini-Max that used DI water steam that I
heard did a good job at spot removal of flux residues and was very good
at getting into tight clearances. I imagine that both Kyzen and Zestron
can offer custom cleaning services but don't know the specifics of all
their capabilities.  


Tom 

-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Phil Nutting
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 12:50 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [TN] no-clean flux residue on connector pins

Good afternoon,

A problem has cropped up with a board built by a CM.  The board was
soldered using a no-clean flux (I don't know which one yet) and
apparently it got on the fine pitch pins of a micro D-Sub rendering the
board non-functional because of the insulative layer of flux on some or
all pins.

So if you are sending a board to a CM;
    do you specify the method of cleaning the board?
    do you specify parts that must be clean after the build?
    if no-clean is used, but you require a clean board to a specific IPC
level, isn't it better to use an OA or RMA washable flux?

Replacing these connectors my be more costly than simply trashing the
boards due to the time to remove and replace the connectors not to
mention the possible reliability issues.  I believe the only feasible
method of removing this connector is with a selective soldering system
so all 64 pins can be unsoldered at the same time.  Don't have one of
these systems.

Assuming I can find out what flux was used is there a way to clean these
connectors successfully?  Sounds like a call to Zestron.

Thanks in advance.

Phil Nutting
    

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