The Science Lab
The Five Forces of Cleaning
Cleaning is something that most people on the planet do every single day in some capacity. We wash our hands, brush our teeth, take showers, and more. While many of us do these tasks daily, how we do them varies on the person. Most everyday cleaning is muscle memory or has become so ingrained in us that we rarely think of what we need to do; we just do it. This isn’t the case when it comes to cleaning in the manufacturing world. When cleaning things like printed circuit boards, specific steps and standards must be maintained and strictly followed. To help understand how cleaning helps to maintain those standards, KYZEN developed Five Forces of Cleaning.
The first force to be considered is compatibility and the baseline effectiveness of your cleaning material. You must first consider what you are cleaning and the materials of construction. What the product is made of will determine the specific cleaning agent and ensure that the two are compatible materials. Once you know the two are compatible; you can move on to the next level, which is considered the true variable in the cleaning process.
The second cleaning force is the cleaning product concentration. For the most part, when using solvents, they are used at 100% concentration levels. Aqueous products are used at different concentrations, dependent on what you are cleaning. Many cleaning solutions are available for use, and many are used at different concentration levels and are closely tied to temperature and cleaning time. Concentration affects operation costs but can be adjusted depending on the other variables.
Our following two cleaning forces are Cleaning Time and Temperature. Many people think faster is better, but that isn’t always the case. Having a faster cleaning time can directly impact factors like how much concentration is used and what temperature is needed. Time also determines what type of machinery will be used in the process. The temperature comes into play with time because, typically, a higher temperature equals a faster cleaning time. Now this isn’t always the case, but doing compatibility testing can let you set a maximum allowable temperature. Overall, getting the requirements correct up front and balancing the potential costs is essential to designing and procuring an effective and economical cleaning process.
The fifth and final cleaning force is mechanical energy. Mechanical energy can come in many different forms, but some of the most common types in manufacturing are spray-in-air, ultrasonic, oscillation, or even turbulence across the substrate. Not every kind of mechanical energy will work for every part or every substrate. This is why testing and determining compatibility is vital in every step of this process.
Overall, the concept of the five individual forces is easy to grasp, but when you look at them together, detailed testing and understanding must be used to get the best solution. To learn more about the Five Forces of Cleaning, click the link HERE or reach out to a KYZEN cleaning expert to discuss our testing services.
Why Are We Cleaning “No-Cleans?”
While it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of the first product labeled and marketed as a “no-clean” flux, in the more than 30 years since their introduction to the electronics assembly market, these fluxes have proven, despite their name, often require cleaning.
“If one looks at the flux classifications of J-STD-004, none of them are labeled as ‘no-clean’. A frequently asked question in the industry is ‘why would anyone clean a no-clean flux?’” authors Doug Pauls, Rockwell Collins, and Bill Kenyon summarized in their 2010 paper “A Discussion of ‘No Clean’ Terminology and Flux History.”
“No-clean” flux is the commonly known identity for low-residue, low-activity fluxes and they carry that extremely marketable name to dominate the market with an 85% share across a bevy of industries compared to the 15% split by RMAs and Water-Soluble fluxes. But why do such fluxes, marketed as not requiring cleaning, in fact, require cleaning with specially designed chemistries and why is it so necessary to clean them?
According to KYZEN Applications Lab Manager Chelsea Jewell, when producers see “no-clean,” most assume that cleaning during the production process can be skipped altogether, which, if defects in a PCB and thereby a product occur because of that lack of cleaning can lead to greater cost to the manufacturer.
“No-cleans” excel when implemented in IPC Class 1, consumer-level electronics because those products require a shorter lifespan and reliability isn’t as highly regarded. Their low-activity nature provides a lower risk in terms of the presence of Ionics on a PCB with the use of those products where long-term reliability isn’t as highly prioritized. It’s their use in Class 2 and Class 3 electronics where the risk of dangerous defects increases due to manufacturers not implementing cleaning processes directed toward “no-cleans.”
Yet, consider where the electronics manufacturing industry would be without “no-cleans.” There’s little doubt where the production PCBs would have evolved, or rather, slowed in evolution without them. PCB packaging and components would have remained larger in size, production costs would be higher due to more intensive cleaning processes, and the dangers lead-based fluxes would persist in products we use daily including cell phones, thereby increasing the danger of lead exposure to consumers.
What if “no cleans” were instead marketed and referred to as the low-residue fluxes they truly are with the built-in expectation that they may require cleaning?
“That would likely provide some more cleaning considerations by producers,” said Jewell, “When those potential defects (resulting from lack of cleaning) are identified prior to production and cleaning processes are implemented, they may produce a reduced cost in production, decreases the time for redesign to preventively correct defects, and eliminate reproduction after flaws are identified.”
Despite their name, while “no clean” fluxes remain the standard in the PCB production, manufacturers should still consider cleaning on a process-to-process basis with the help of specifically tailored chemistries like KYZEN AQUANOX A4625 and AQUANOX A4626.
Need more information regarding why to clean “no-cleans?” Click here to watch our Tech2Tech “Cleaning No-Cleans – Why Would You?” or connect a member of the KYZEN team with any questions.
Meet Your Clean Team
David McWright – Assistant Operations Manager/Buyer
David McWright is KYZEN’s Assistant Operations Manager/Buyer. He has been with KYZEN for almost 23 years and has been grateful for every minute of it. David, also known as “Big Mac,” has also been living in Kingston Springs, TN, for the past 23 years but was born and raised in West Nashville, TN. He prides himself on his honesty, integrity, strong work ethic, and common sense when it comes to his work.
David has been married to his wife Sandra for almost 32 years and has two sons Andrew and Aaron along with a daughter-in-law named Candice. He spoils his first granddaughter Harley Jo and has another on the way who he guesses will be named Skylar Jane! Two additional members of his family include his beloved dog Journey and his grand dog, Myles.
David’s favorite hobbies include pontoon boating, camping, fishing, collecting rocks and old coins, and watching football/NASCAR/or anything sports related. Despite his hair beginning to whiten at the age of 19, his years spent with KYZEN surprisingly haven’t led him to lose any. From China to Israel, David also serves as one of the main faces that we use in graphics for literature and show material. David is an integral part of the KYZEN team, and his depth of knowledge makes him a valuable asset for any questions you might have.
Don’t hesitate to contact David with any questions that you may have.
LeAnne Langston – Global Logistics Manager
LeAnne Langston serves as KYZEN’s Global Logistics Manager. She is a Nashville native through and through having been born and raised in the Music City. LeAnne began her KYZEN journey nine years ago after spending the previous 20 years in Freight Forwarding with DHL. When she discovered KYZEN was seeking a new, caring team member to join our logistics team she found what she calls “a great fit.”
As if the job of managing KYZEN logistical operations isn’t enough, she has a full life at home as well. Her favorite hobbies away from work include gardening and cooking. She has been married for 17 years, has two daughters, one bonus son, a special daughter-in-law and eight grandchildren. Her four-legged family is just as large with her dog Jax, cat Oliver and four grand-dogs. When the whole family gathers, she assures, it is total craziness though, hopefully, relaxing when compared to the stellar but all-encompassing work she does for KYZEN. LeAnne serves as one of the true movers (literally, in the sense of logistics) and shakers among our KYZEN team!
Don’t hesitate to contact LeAnne with any questions that you may have.
KYZEN Cares in the Community
One of the main pillars that KYZEN was founded on and continues to promote is CARE. Care is the dedication that goes beyond just doing our jobs well. We pride ourselves on the fact that care follows our employees in whatever task or action they are doing. Care isn’t confined by the walls of KYZEN either…our employees are making a difference in and out of the office. We are excited to shine a light on the amazing work some of them are doing whether they are coaching sports, participating in community projects, responding to a natural disaster, or volunteering in associations across our industry.
Wayne Raney is a member and serves as Treasurer of SME43, one of the associations that KYZEN partners with to promote growth within the manufacturing industry. He enjoys getting to interact with various schools and students exploring potential career paths and connecting with manufacturing professionals. Through event sponsorship, school programming, plant tours, scholarships, and even student chapters, Wayne and SME43 have been able to make a difference in the community, and it shows. We can’t wait to see how this organization grows and expands.
This team member is participating in life-saving volunteer work for some of our most beloved team members: our fluffy four-legged friends. LeAnne Langston makes a difference by volunteering her time and energy to help recuse and transport animals all over the country. Typically, these transports consist of 3-day trips and hundreds of miles to receive an animal and get it safely to the next location. This is only possible because various strangers all over the country have a heart filled with compassion and love and want to help. LeAnne loves to help with Echo Dogs White Shepherd Rescue.
Another team member who is crushing it professionally and personally when it comes to volunteering is our Global Marketing Manager, Sherry Stepp. Sherry actively serves on various committees and associations within the manufacturing space and is currently the VP of membership for her local SMTA chapter. In her spare time, she also plays an active role in her community by volunteering at her church, participating in community clean-up days, and so much more. Sherry describes it best: “Working at KYZEN has not only allowed me to be there for my children as they grew up and now my grandchildren but to give back to the community and the industry with their support and encouragement.” We love hearing these stories from employees and they continue to inspire CARE both at work and at home.
All of these stories are just some of the ways KYZEN employees are making a difference. We already knew they were awesome at the office, but having employees that are actively contributing to making the communities we live in a better place is something that we will never stop pursuing. KYZEN’s CARE is an aspect that will never be overlooked. Whether in our work or in other ways, we will always foster an environment that promotes the betterment of ourselves, our work, and our standards in the cleaning industry
KYZEN Quality – Priority One Since Day One
KYZEN has prioritized quality since its first days more than thirty years ago. Whether it was establishing a “quality shop” standard, providing quality testing or ensuring the company produced quality products, several instances resound as touchstones in the timeline of KYZEN’s prevailing attitude toward quality.
In the early 1990s, as KYZEN was gaining it’s footing as a company, NASA provided a a starting block for KYZEN to fully test their capabilities in quality but also improve them. Few young companies in any sector are provided the opportunity to work with the country’s authority on aeronautics, space research, and space flights. KYZEN not only won NASA’s business with quality procedures but took the recommendations provided by NASA inspectors to improve them.
“The reason I remember that day so clearly all these years later, is because we chose to accept the challenge. We decided that we had a lot to learn from the best in the world, and they were eager to be our teachers,” recalled Tom Forsythe, KYZEN Executive VP, in his 2021 article “Quality: A Prevailing Attitude.”
While a name like NASA provides an excellent starting block in building a reputation of quality, KYZEN has never limited its services or products to companies of any size in a variety of industries in need of cleaning solutions.
From the reaches of human space exploration to within the human body, in 2019, a medical implant manufacturer sought the assistance of KYZEN’S cleaning expertise. They required a new process for cleaning and removing a heavy buffing compound used in the production of knee implants primarily made of cobalt, chrome, and titanium. KYZEN quality prevailed again with the power of METALNOX M6432 and years of quality cleaning experience.
“Now rocket scientists are pretty smart people, yet even those talented people need sector expertise that a cleaning expert like KYZEN can provide. There are people that make medical devices and implants. They are often related to those rocket scientist folks ‑‑ really smart, but they too need the deep expertise about cleaning that KYZEN can provide,” Forsythe explained in 2020 in “Regular People Everyday Businesses Doing Their Part.”
Those years of expertise, whether assisting rocketeers or medical miracle workers, are propelling KYZEN forward and helping us take the driver’s seat of quality cleaning into both the Metal Finishing and Electronics Assembly sides in the world of Electric Vehicle manufacturing. In a recent case study, KYZEN worked collaboratively with a contract manufacturer for an EV producer to improve the quality of their multi-metal parts cleaning process and boost that process using METALNOX M6314CP.
Be it in outer space, on the open road, or with implants used to replace human joints and change patient’s lives, quality is priority one for KYZEN and the standard across more than 30 years connecting our care for customers and their needs.
To connect with KYZEN and learn more about how we can make your quality our priority, click here to contact us today.
