Publications Details
Evaluation of a no-clean soldering process designed to eliminate the use of ozone depleting chemicals
The destruction of the Earth`s protective ozone layer is one of today`s largest environmental concerns. Solvent emissions released during the cleaning of printed wiring boards (PWBs) have been identified as a primary contributor to ozone destruction. No-clean soldering (sometimes referred to as self-cleaning) processes represent an ideal solution since they eliminate the need for cleaning after soldering. Elimination of solvent cleaning operations significantly reduces the emissions of ozone depleting chemicals (ODCs), reduces energy consumption, and reduces product costs. Several no-clean soldering processes have been developed over the past few years. The program`s purpose was to evaluate the no-clean soldering process and to determine if hardware produced by the process is acceptable for military applications. That is, determine if the no-clean process produces hardware that is as reliable as that soldered with the existing rosin-based flux solvent cleaning process.