Dish Washer for BGA Cleaning

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Hi Guys, Have you tried using a standard dish washer fo... - Apr 08, 2004 by

Didn't they do this on an old episode of The Brady Bunch? ... - Apr 08, 2004 by

Although water soluble (OA) flux is technically the easiest ... - Apr 09, 2004 by Michael

We use a dish washer system with good success. The only issu... - Apr 12, 2004 by arcandspark

I do agree with Mike, if you are looking to purchase a board... - Apr 13, 2004 by

Dreamsniper

#27967

Dish Washer for BGA Cleaning | 8 April, 2004

Hi Guys,

Have you tried using a standard dish washer for cleaning PCB's with BGA's. What detergent or cleaning chemicals did you used? I wonder if it will work to clean a WS Flux PCB using the dish washer then get it rinsed by an old aqueou cleaner not capable of applying saponifier or surfactant.

thanks and regards,

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Ken

#27977

Dish Washer for BGA Cleaning | 8 April, 2004

Didn't they do this on an old episode of The Brady Bunch?

Your wash will have severe foaming problems!!!!

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Michael

#27979

Dish Washer for BGA Cleaning | 9 April, 2004

Although water soluble (OA) flux is technically the easiest flux to remove, it is also the most damaging type of flux if not removed. A dishwasher lacks the pressure and nozzle design to produce the very small water particle size required for thorough under component penetration (impingement).

Dishwasher �technology� is based on high flow, low pressure. Although flow is one component of thorough cleaning, high-density, low standoff applications such as BGA�s mandate significantly higher pressures than any dishwasher or laboratory cleaner can provide. Anecdotally, my wife reminds me to always rinse off the dishes before loading the dishwasher, otherwise, the dishes may not come clean. The surface of my dishes is free from reflowed components mounted 2 mils off of the surface. The temperature in a reflow oven generally exceeds those of a kitchen oven. Additionally, if using a chemical additive in a dishwasher, be prepared to replace quite a few parts as many chemicals used in de-fluxing deteriorate the seals and other parts of a dishwasher. Also, most chemical additives have a chemical de-foaming package built into them. The de-foaming package is temperature activated. Most dishwashers can not sustain the heat required to keep the de-foamers working. The result may be reminiscent of �the blob�.

If cleaning is in your future, consider a cleaning system designed for circuit assemblies, not plates and spoons.

Mike Konrad Aqueous Technologies 909.944.7771 ext 29 www.aqueoustech.com

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arcandspark

#27994

Dish Washer for BGA Cleaning | 12 April, 2004

We use a dish washer system with good success. The only issue is foaming, sometimes this can be a problem. We have be experimenting with antifoaming chemicals. Some success. I would suggest a dish washer system that has ionic system in the wash pump loop, not just on the incoming supply water. We have to use several rinse cycles to acheive proper cleanliness.

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arcandspark

#28031

Dish Washer for BGA Cleaning | 13 April, 2004

I do agree with Mike, if you are looking to purchase a board wash system, do not get a dish washer unit, purchase a system built to wash PCB's not dishes. We had them at the former company I worked at and they worked best. They moved everything to China and this new company builds IC's and BGA's so when they put together the SMT shop, they were use to using dish washer type units for their small components, that is why they made us use they type unit. Even though it does work, Mike is right, the seals do not last long, and you have to use three to four times the amount of water to get the boards clean as you would if it were a high pressure inline unit.

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