Compatibility of Temporary Water Soluble Spot Mask and Defoamer Soldering Chemistries in a Closed-Loop Water Recycling System

Temporary Water Soluble Mask

case history

A closed-loop wastewater recycling user was dissatisfied with the spot mask that he was using because it was leaving a residue inside the cleaner. The accumulated residue inside the windows left doubts about the cleanliness of the printed circuit boards.

solution

After testing several types of mask he found one that performed best for his application. The use of this mask produced an immediate positive effect - there was no residue accumulation! As he continued to use the mask other benefits became apparent such as reduced pump repairs, frequency of cleaning the cleaner and, most importantly, the achievement of a substantially longer media life. After comparing the operating costs, he found that they were reduced from $10,000 per year to $7,000 per year. Since this experience, SepTech has used this specific mask and has found that it will always reduce the operating costs of the recycle system in comparison to other brands of spot masks.

Defoamer

case history

A new AquaCycler was started-up and the water purity varied from 10 to 18 megohm-cm for a few days. On one occasion the water purity suddenly dropped to 450,000 ohm-cm but the water regained its higher purity level over the next few days. However, on another occasion, after adding the defoamer, the engineer noticed that the addition of 2 capfuls of defoamer caused the water purity dropped from about 10 megohm-cm down to 150,000 ohm-cm in minutes! This amount of defoamer was necessary to reduce the foam level before it overflowed from the cleaner wash tank.

solution

The water recycling system could now operate without being prohibitively expensive. In addition, there was no visible decrease in the water purity and only 5 drops were needed to achieve the same result as two capfuls of the other brand!