Let me expand on Cal's comments.
Recommended??? What people recommend depends on whom you ask and what is their motivation. Me??? There is no hand lotion recommended for use in electronics manufacture.
Brian Ellis [a respected author on cleaning, bon vivant, and ex-SMTnter] once said �I recommend that hands be washed thoroughly and rinsed even more thoroughly with NO hand lotion before entering the assembly area.
�Here is a typical formulation of a hand lotion [taken off the bottle label of a well known make]: * Aqua (water) * Paraffinum liquidum (mineral oil) * Propylene glycol (hygroscopic surfactant) * Propylene glycol stearate (hygroscopic and ionic ester) * Cetearyl alcohol * Stearic acid (ionic carboxylic acid) * Parfum (fragrance) * Triethanolamine (ionic saponifier) * PEG30 (polyethylene glycol, hygroscopic) * Lanolin (animal fat) * Methylparaben (goodness knows! It�s a food-grade preservative that protects against yeast and mold.) * Propylparaben (goodness knows! It�s a food-grade preservative that protects against yeast and mold.) * Sodium lauryl sulfate (ionic surfactant - hygroscopic) * PEG75/lanolin blend (see PEG30 and lanolin) * P-chloro-M-cresol-BHT (whatever that may be) * Colours
�Which of these products would you like to see on your assemblies?"
Consider avoiding allowing a specific �safe� lotion, because: * Operators will prefer and use their own lotion. * Operators will not appreciate the subtleties that you used in selecting the proper lotion. * There is no way you can prevent them from using their choice. * We�ve talked to people who have had minor skin reactions to some of the popular �safe� lotions.
As for so-called anti-static lotions, this is a sales gimmick that means that they have an extra dose of hygroscopic surfactants [synthetic detergents are made from petrochemicals], which is one of the last things you wish on an assembly, because often these surfactants are a sodium salt. Basically, it attracts moisture from the air to make the skin more conductive. So, if you wish to respect the electrical integrity of your assemblies: NO HAND CREAMS.
Continuing, the silicones in some hand lotions make soldering and conformal coating very difficult.
Expanding on BE�s point, I recommend that people wash their hands thoroughly and rinsed even more thoroughly both when leaving and when returning to the assembly area.
Finally, recognize that, if you don�t provide hand lotion, people are going to want to use hand lotion. That desire is going to force you to either: * Enforce a �No Lotion� policy � OR * Choose a lotion with the least undesirable impact on your product. [If you are a contractor, you probably have no choice on this one.]
reply »