Flux Removers

The best cleaning method for your operation depends on your volume, throughput desired, criticality of the electronics, regulatory restrictions, and floor space.

The main options for board cleaning are…

1. Manual cleaning - This can involve aerosol or pump sprays, or solvents in a pan or tray. Agitation can be applied with a brush, swab or wipe.
2. Ultrasonic - This method uses sound waves to create bubbles, which implode on the PCBA surface to break up the flux residues.
3. Vapor degreasing - The cleaning is done either in the vapor phase of a solvent, or submerged in a sump, which often includes ultrasonic action.
4. Batch or inline systems - Spray equipment with water-based cleaners wash, rinse, and dry the PCBAs.

I’ll focus on aerosol cleaning, because that is the most practical if you are setting up a new cleaning operation. All defluxing processes basically involve…

1. Dissolving the flux residue: Choose a cleaner that works best with your flux. A good match will reduce the need for extra soak time and agitation. When flux has been sitting for a long period of time, or has been baked on at high temperature or long reflow cycle, addition brushing might be required.
2. Flushing or rinsing off the dissolved residues: Remember, once flux residues are dissolved, they won’t just evaporate off. They need a chance to flow off the circuit board. Holding the board at an angle while you are cleaning can help. A final rinse is always a good idea, and required if you are using a water-based cleaner.
3. Drying the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA): For fast-drying solvents, this isn’t usually an issue. For water-based cleaners, you can accelerate drying with a duster, or use alcohol as a drying agent.

A flux remover, also known as a flux cleaner or solder flux remover, is a chemical cleaning agent used in electronics and soldering applications to remove flux residues from circuit boards, electronic components, and other soldered connections.

Flux is a substance used during soldering to facilitate the flow of molten solder and promote good solder joints. It prevents oxidation of the metal surfaces, enhances wetting, and ensures a reliable electrical connection. However, after soldering, some flux residues may remain on the surface, which can be detrimental if left uncleaned. Flux residues can be conductive and corrosive, potentially causing short circuits, reduced performance, or even long-term damage to the electronic components.

A flux remover is designed to effectively remove these flux residues without causing harm to the electronic components or the circuit board. It typically comes in the form of a spray, liquid, or solvent, and it contains specific chemicals that dissolve and remove the flux residues.

Flux removers vary in their composition, and some may be suitable for cleaning specific types of flux or for different materials. It's essential to choose the right flux remover for the type of flux used in the soldering process and follow the instructions and safety precautions listed in the safety data sheet (SDS).

Proper cleaning of flux residues with a flux remover is crucial for maintaining the reliability and functionality of electronic devices, especially in the manufacturing and repair industries. It helps ensure that soldered connections are clean, free of contamination, and function as intended.

For more information, check out "Ultimate Guide to Cleaning Electronics: Improve PCB Reliability Safely & Effectively"

The cleaning method best for your operation depends on your volume, throughput desired, criticality of the electronics, regulatory restrictions, floor space and other practical considerations. All defluxing processes basically involve 1) dissolving the flux residue, 2) flushing off the dissolved residue, and 3) drying the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA). The following are the general methods used to clean PCBAs:

• Manual cleaning - This can involve aerosol or pump sprays, or solvents in a pan or tray. Agitation can be applied with a brush, swab or wipe. This method is best for low volume cleaning of non-critical electronics (e.g. IPC class 1), because it is operator dependant, so not easily repeatable.
• Ultrasonic - This method uses sonic (sound) waves to create bubbles, which implode on the PCBA surface to break up the flux residues. This is an aggressive cleaning method, which can be a problem for sensitive components (e.g. ceramic). Because the dissolved flux residues flow back into the cleaning solution, the cleaner needs to be monitored and changed often to prevent cross-contamination.
• Vapor degreasing - The cleaning is done either in the vapor phase of a solvent, or submerged in a sump, which often includes ultrasonic action. Since the final rinse always happens in the vapor phase, this is an ideal cleaning method for critical applications where residue cannot be accepted.
• Batch or inline systems - Spray equipment is used to wash, rinse, and dry the PCBAs. Water or water-based cleaners are most commonly used as the cleaning solution. This cleaning method is good for high volume cleaning, and is repeatable enough for critical applicaitons.

Click here for a how-to video on PCB cleaning.

If it is not fully activated (brought up to solder temperature), you should not leave any ionic residue behind. You might have to clean if...
1. Flux is being used so liberally that it all isn’t being heated along with the solder.
or
2. The non-ionic residue can impede with the function of the devise either short-term or long-term.

Every organization using hazardous chemicals within their facility has the responsibility to equip their facility and personnel to maintain exposure levels below the TLV. Personal monitoring badges can be used to measure exposure of a specific material. Then, depending on the threshold limit and the application, exposure can be controlled with PPE like masks, face shields, respirators, and even coveralls. If they don’t reduce exposure below the recommended limit, you will need to consider a special ventilation hood or even containment booth. As you can see, as the exposure limit gets down to a certain level, the equipment required to safely use the solvent can get impractical. At that point, your best option is to consider a safer alternative.

The personal hazard associated with a solvent is often defined using Threshold Limit Value (TLV), which is the recommended average exposure in an 8-hour day, 40 hour work week. The lower the TLV of a particular substance, the less a worker can be exposed to without harmful effects. TLV is stated on the SDS of chemical products, in additional to recommended personal protection equipment (or PPE). The threshold limit value of a solvent is generally set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). The unit of measure is Parts Per Million (PPM). 

White residue is generally a symptom of ineffective PCB cleaning. Common conductive flux residues from the soldering process can include various unreacted activators, binders, rheology components, and saponifiers. Among these are numerous iterations of acids (abietic, adipic, succinic among others), highly basic ingredients (amino compounds), and even constituents found in “soaps” such as phosphate and sulfate ions. When a cleaner does not fully dissolve all the constituents, or the cleaner is not allowed to flow off the PCB, the remaining solvent can evaporate off and leave behind residue that is either white or like water spots.

Yes, flux should be cleaned off of a printed circuit board (PCB) after soldering is completed. The following are the reasons to remove flux residues:

• Improve Aesthetic Appearance of PCB - If you are a contract manufacturer of PCB’s, the visual appearance of the board reflects on your work. A clear, greasy-looking residue around a solder joint may raise flags for your customer’s incoming QC inspectors. If the flux residue chars and forms spots on the solder joints, it may look like a true defect like a solder joint void or “blow hole”. If the flux residue is from a rework process, it acts as a fault tag in the rework area, calling attention to the work even if there shouldn’t be a concern.
• Improve Reliability of PCB - Reliability requirements are generally driven by the nature of the final product. For a disposable product like a computer keyboard, nobody loses their life if it stops working. In that case, an EMS supplier may use no-clean flux and forgo the cleaning process. On the other end of the scale, requirements for pacemaker electronics, where board failure could directly lead to death, are going to be much stricter. In that example, cleaning will be required after assembly and any subsequent rework, and the process will be thoroughly tested for effectiveness and repeatability. Long-life durable goods may fall somewhere in-between, with cleaning a requirement, but without the rigid testing and controls.
• Prevent Corrosion on Components and PCB - Flux residues left on electronic circuit boards are acidic. If they aren’t removed with a cleaning process, the residues can draw in ambient moisture from the air and lead to corrosion of component leads, and PCB contacts.
• Avoid Adhesion Problems with Conformal Coating - Most people understand that when painting something, the surface must be prepared so it is absolutely clean. Otherwise, the paint will quickly lift off the surface and peel off. The same logic applies to conformal coating, even when the contamination is from no-clean flux. “No-clean” refers to the amount of ionic material left after soldering. It has nothing to do with whether or not coating can stick to it. When there are flux residues left on the PCB before the coating process, it is common to see the coating lift or delaminate from the surface of the board. This is evident when the pockets are isolated around solder joints rather than the overall surface (the exception being the bottom of a wave soldered PCB). To make matters worse, coatings are generally semi-permeable, so breathe to a certain extent. Moisture can enter and soak into the flux residue, and potentially lead to corrosion.
• Prevent Dendritic Growth from Ionic Contamination - Polar or Ionic particles left from flux residue and other sources, when exposed to moisture from the ambient air and when current is applied, can link into a chain or branch called a dendrite. These dendrites are conductive, so form an unintended trace that cause current leakage or, over a longer period of time, even a short circuit. This is not as much of a concern for no-clean flux. No-clean flux contains minimal ionic material that is fully consumed when the flux is activated, or in other words, brought to soldering temperature. If all of the flux isn’t activated, like when you apply a lot of flux but only solder a small area, you still need to clean the PCB.

The most common way to clean flux residues from a repair area is to saturate a cotton or foam swab with isopropyl alcohol or another cleaning solvent, and rub it around the repair area. While this may be adequate for no-clean flux, where the goal is a visually clean PCB, this may not be clean enough when more heavily activated fluxes are involved, like RA or aqueous. The dirty little secret is that flux residues will not evaporate along with the solvent. You may dissolve the flux, and some of the residues will soak into the swab, but most of the residues will settle back onto the board surface. Many times these white residues are more difficult to remove than the original flux.

One quick and easy improvement to this process is to rinse the board after swabbing around the repair area. While the solvent is still wet, spray over the entire board with an aerosol flux cleaner. Hold the PCB at an angle to allow the solvent to flow over the board and run off, along with any residues that are picked up.

The straw attachment that comes with aerosol flux removers is a good way to increase the spray force and penetrate under the components.

Some aerosol flux removers come with a brush attachment. The cleaning solvent sprays through the brush, so agitation can be increased by scrubbing while spraying. To absorb the flux residues, a lint-free poly-cellulose wiper can be placed over the repair area, and the spraying and scrubbing can occur over the material. Then remove the wipe and brush attachment, and spray over the board for the final rinse.

The most common way to clean flux residues from a repair area is to saturate a cotton or foam swab with isopropyl alcohol or another cleaning solvent, and rub it around the repair area. While this may be adequate for no-clean flux, where the goal is a visually clean PCB, this may not be clean enough when more heavily activated fluxes are involved, like RA or aqueous. The dirty little secret is that flux residues will not evaporate along with the solvent. You may dissolve the flux, and some of the residues will soak into the swab, but most of the residues will settle back onto the board surface. Many times these white residues are more difficult to remove than the original flux.

One quick and easy improvement to this process is to rinse the board after swabbing around the repair area. While the solvent is still wet, spray over the entire board with an aerosol flux cleaner. Hold the PCB at an angle to allow the solvent to flow over the board and run off, along with any residues that are picked up.

The straw attachment that comes with aerosol flux removers is a good way to increase the spray force and penetrate under the components.

Some aerosol flux removers come with a brush attachment. The cleaning solvent sprays through the brush, so agitation can be increased by scrubbing while spraying. To absorb the flux residues, a lint-free poly-cellulose wiper can be placed over the repair area, and the spraying and scrubbing can occur over the material. Then remove the wipe and brush attachment, and spray over the board for the final rinse.

Flux removers (defluxers) are used to clean off flux and other contaminants left by manufacture, rework, or repair of printed circuit boards. Flux removers can be solvent based (e.g. isopropyl alcohol) or water-based, which are generally used in batch or in-line cleaning systems.