Electronic Assembly Cleaning Basics – Automated Concentration Monitoring

How does the PCS integrate with the inline cleaner?
The PCS is a standalone system that adds on to the inline cleaner. Everything about the cleaner continues to function as it did with low levels or high levels. All of the alarms and safety features of the machine continue to operate the same. The PCS basically defeats the need of the inline to make up water since it can do all the water and chemistry additions to the wash tank. There’s a float box sensor that’s added to the tank to monitor the level in the wash tank as well as a sensor added to the pump manifold system that reads the concentration, so again, it just adds all of the water and chemistry required to keep the concentration of the wash tank on target.

Is there any portion of the PCS that requires calibration?
No, there’s no calibration required. We have a KYZEN Tech Brief that discusses about the initial bath fill and taking a manual sample and comparing that with the PCS reading, but then after that there’s no more manual readings necessary to take during the life of that bath. The PCS is completely calibrated during that time, if there was any question we have a verification process that you can run with a DI water, which is a known standard for the sonic velocity that you can check if you ever had any doubts, but there’s no calibration required.

Does the PCS record data?
Yes. The PCS records every addition that it makes or any alarms that occur. This is stored on a USB flash drive on the front of the PCS that can be pulled out and put in to your computer to extract the data or you can network the PCS and actually use your internet to pull the data off of the PCS.

How does the PCS measure the concentration?
We have two methods which depend on what kind of chemistry you’re using. We use sonic velocity on some of our chemistries and we use refractive index on the other chemistry.

If I buy a PCS, should I keep my Chemtroller connected?
Once the PCS is installed, there will be no need to use the Chemtroller anymore. Some people have left it on as a back up but after awhile they figure out the PCS is doing exactly the same job and end up disconnecting it. It can stay on or off, either one.

Does the PCS give me alerts or notifications?
Yes, there is a light tower on it to give you an indication as well as an audible alarm. If you use the ANALYST Data Services, it can actually send a text message or an email alert of any particular alarm that you previously denoted.

How often is calibration needed?
It’s basically a verification process and each time you do a bath fill you’ll want to verify it manually like with a test kit and then compare it to the PCS. They should be within a few tenths of percent of each other. That’s good enough verification with manual and then it can run the rest of that bath without any longer take than the manual samples.