I have had this problem and have been able to recondition the holes using a small drill bit the same size as the apertures (if they are round and not oblong). Then use some very fine wet & dry paper on the stencil surface to remove any small burs that may have been introduced. We use Heraeus glue and have found a cleaning solution which copes very well with this. Contact Adamtech (UK based) 44 (0)1785 286660 Mark ===== Original Message from [log in to unmask] (TechNet E-Mail Forum.) at 31/07/03 17:28 >Technet, > >We have been using IPA to clean SMT adhesive off the stencil during the >build and ultrasonic wash after the build. Over time we started noticing >residues of adhesive around the inside walls of the stencil appertures. The >adhesive appeared to be cured and hardened and we tried many ways but were >unsuccessful in removing it (brush with more aggressive solvent, ultrasonic >clean etc.) > >We were informed that a specific proprietary cleaner solvent has to be used >to clean the adhesive off the stencil effectively. The down side is a 5X >cost compared to IPA and a 2-5 times slower evaporation rate. > >Does anyone have similar experience with cleaning SMT adhesive off the >stencil? What is the common cleaning interval applied during adhesive >printing? (we clean every 5 prints) Any suggestion in methods to >recondition the stencil appertures? > > >Rgds, >Peter > >--------------------------------------------------- >Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8e >To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in >the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet >To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to >[log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) >To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to >[log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest >Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives >Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm for additional >information, or 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 1.8e To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 -----------------------------------------------------