Hi Sandy B,
You certainly can clean the BGA's using an inline or batch process. The correct method to hold them during this process, is the method that provides the desired outcome. I'm familiar with the desired outcome for cleaning singulated BGA's to primarily be:
(1) free of flux residues (especially around the fillets of the solder balls/bumps and around perimeter of any NSMD pads) (2) free of solder splatter/balls on the surface of the substrate (3) cosmetically appealling solder spheres, (4) unmarred solder spheres (5) no missing solder spheres (unless you are just cleaning the substrate/pads, having removed the spheres as part of the rework) (6) acceptable flatness of BGA (7) free of wash solution (meaning completely rinsed) (8) free of ionic contamination (meaning rinsed with good quality DI water and dried without reintroducing ionics) (9) free of rinse solution (meaning totally dry) (10) exit with acceptable handling temperatures
Cleaning the BGA's while they are held in JEDEC trays or AUER boats would likely provide the desired transport method and presentation of the BGA's to the cleaning process to maximize potential for achieving the desired outcome. A fixture can be fabricated that provides the charactoristics of the trays/boats while providing flexibility for a range of BGA sizes.
If your inline blast the BGA's out of the fixture, several methods can be considered to retain the parts in the fixture. Clamps that hold the BGA in the fixture, or, stacking an empty fixture over the loaded fixture is possible in some applications. Avoid dynamic top hold down belts, as these have a great potential to damage the soft solder, and/or, rip the solder from the pad. If no solder is present on the pad, observe if the top hold down conveyor scars the pad.
Hope this helps! and Have a Great Week!!
Shean Dalton Austin American Technology Your Global Cleaning Experts www.aat-corp.com (512) 335-6400
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