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!