Proper use of a flux is very important in the manufacturing of electronic products and assemblies.
Proper removal of the flux, after the operation, is just as important and critical to insure reliable circuitry. Residue flux is not only unsightly, but it can promote short circuits, corrosion and degrading or damaging the printed circuit board.
In today’s very sensitive processing of electronic assemblies, there is the need for special eco-friendly flux removing agents. These special agents are supplied without ozone depleting propellants, are able to remove all types of lead-free, rosin (types R, RA and RMA), no-clean, water soluble and synthetic fluxes. “Eco-d” fluxes and “Flux-off” series are the perfect replacements for toxic solvents cleaners such as: N-Propyl Bromide (nPB), Trichloroethylene (TCE), Perchloroethylene (Perc), Methylene Chloride
Flux residues effect the caused by PCB assembly process. The requirement of proper flux removers are dependent on the type of flux being used and the steps following the manufacturing process.
Rosin based fluxes ( R, RMA) can be a source of corrosion if they are not fully “activated” with the soldering process.
No-Clean fluxes are fully consumed by the soldering process. Its residue does not cause corrosion, but it can cause some issue in following processes such as: coating PCB’s, potting PCB’s, to name only a few examples.
Coating delamination PCB corrosion
PCB coating performance depends on cleanliness of the surface. No-Clean Flux residues produce a weak adhesion of the coating materials on the PCB surface
