Z-AXIS Upgrades Board Washing Equipment for PCB Assemblies

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Z-AXIS, Inc. has added a HydroJet® in-line cleaning system from Austin American Technology to its electronics design and contract manufacturing center near Rochester, New York. The system features multiple high-powered jets for chemical and water wash, a de-ionized water rinse, and a patented jet dryer. It effectively and efficiently removes solder flux from printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies, including those with high-density surface mount technology (SMT) components such as ball grid arrays (BGAs).

The closed-loop system uses chemical isolation and recovery to reduce operating costs and environmental waste. It features high throughput and supports rapid change-over for high-mix PCB manufacturing.

“We are constantly investing in modern manufacturing equipment in order to deliver reliable, high-end PCB and SMT assemblies to our customers,” said Michael Allen, President of Z-AXIS, Inc. “With this latest upgrade, we can increase both quality and throughput, while at the same time reducing our operating costs. Passing these benefits on to our customers, we continue to provide competitive, high-quality electronics manufacturing in the USA.”

Board washing is an essential step in PCB assembly operations, particularly when the finished PCBA will have a conformal coating to protect it from moisture and contaminants. This is a popular choice for Z?AXIS customers, who are primarily manufacturers of industrial, medical and commercial electronic equipment. High board cleanliness and a protective conformal coating help ensure the long life and high reliability required in these markets.