Hi Grant & Everybody! I'll be surprised if you get to conformal coat without cleaning. The other two people you need to check with are the conformal coating manufacturer and your customer. If they both said it was okay then you're in business. Don't forget IPC-A-610C section: 9.1.2 Defect - Class 1,2,3: "Any foreign material that violates minimum electrical clearance between components, lands or conductive surfaces." I consider a non-conductive residue on a PWA as a defect (foreign material) until I prove it otherwise - SIR, Salt Fog, . . . Hans ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hans M. Hinners Materials (Process & Manufacturing) Engineer Warner Robins Air Logistics Center Avionics Production Division Manufacturing Branch 380 Second Street, Suite 104 Building: 640, Mail Stop: LYPME Robins AFB, GA 31098-1638 Voice: (912) 926 - 1970 Fax: (912) 926 - 7164 mailto:[log in to unmask] http://www.robins.af.mil -----Original Message----- From: Grant Emandien [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Monday, March 20, 2000 4:25 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [TN] Coating of assemblies with no clean fluxes Hi all, The debate on cleaning of fluxes as well as the use no-clean fluxes seems to hang around forever. We have been informed by our solder an flux supplier that assemblies with no clean fluxes can be conformally coated without the need to clean the boards. The argument is that the high temperatures of the reflow oven 'burns off' the active ingredients, leaving only inactive residues. These flux residues do not have to be cleaned and can supposedly be coated. The rep. believes we are taking a backward step by possibly opting to use water-based flux. Is this pure sales talk? Is anyone able to offer any advice or insight, or been able to assess the environmental and electrical performance of such assemblies. Regards Grant ############################################################## TechNet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c ############################################################## To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TECHNET <your full name> To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TECHNET ############################################################## Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional information. If you need assistance - contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 ############################################################## ############################################################## TechNet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c ############################################################## To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TECHNET <your full name> To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TECHNET ############################################################## Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional information. If you need assistance - contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 ##############################################################