Printed Circuit Board Assembly & PCB Design SMT Electronics Assembly Manufacturing Forum

Printed Circuit Board Assembly & PCB Design Forum

SMT electronics assembly manufacturing forum.


Cleaning Ceramic Substrates

Gary Simbulan

#16457

Cleaning Ceramic Substrates | 25 March, 1998

We currently use an abrasive fiberglass brush to clean the silver oxide off of our substrates proir to asembly. It's messy and tiring. Is there an alternative method, either chemical or mechanical that is cost effective for small (30 to 50ea 6in sq panels) lots. Thanks for your assistance and also for the wealth of information and education I am getting from the exchanges on this site. I look forward to the day when I am answering questions as well as asking.

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Justin Medernach

#16459

Re: Cleaning Ceramic Substrates | 25 March, 1998

| We currently use an abrasive fiberglass brush to clean the silver oxide off of our substrates proir to asembly. It's messy and tiring. Is there an alternative method, either chemical or mechanical that is cost effective for small (30 to 50ea 6in sq panels) lots. | Thanks for your assistance and also for the wealth of information and education I am getting from the exchanges on this site. I look forward to the day when I am answering questions as well as asking. | Gary, I'm not too familiar with the processing of ceramic substrates nor am I familiar with the time it takes for Ag oxide to form but what about preventative measures instead of cleaning? Cleaning is always going to consume time and time is money. What about storing your substrates in a dessicant atmospher. there is a company in California called Terra-Universal. I'm not sure if you're familiar with them but they sell dessicant chambers. You should also be able to find these on the used market. The basic principle is pretty simple. you have an ESD safe plexi-glass cabinet with a few bells and whistles, a built in hygrometer, and a flow meter. Nitrogen is fed to the cabinet via a low pressure liquid cylinder and the atmosphere inside the cabinet is kept dry. Thus, no oxide. The number for Terra-Universal is 714 526 0100. This may eliminate the need for cleaning entirely. I think it may be worth looking into. Best Regards, Justin Medernach Flextronics Int'l PIC East

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Bill Schreiber

#16458

Re: Cleaning Ceramic Substrates | 26 March, 1998

The Smart Sonic Stencil Cleaning Process has been very successful in cleaning misprinted ceramic substrates. We would be happy to test clean your product. Contact me toll free at (888) 499-7440. Bill Schreiber | We currently use an abrasive fiberglass brush to clean the silver oxide off of our substrates proir to asembly. It's messy and tiring. Is there an alternative method, either chemical or mechanical that is cost effective for small (30 to 50ea 6in sq panels) lots. | Thanks for your assistance and also for the wealth of information and education I am getting from the exchanges on this site. I look forward to the day when I am answering questions as well as asking. |

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