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Nolan’s Notes: Cleaning With Smaller Geometries

Cleaning is an under-appreciated, possibly under-considered step in the PCB assembly process. Smaller geometries, combined with increasingly larger bottom-terminated packages for complex components, using ever-smaller pitch sizes, mean that cleaning solutions must drive deeper and rinse out more easily than ever before, and must extract all flux residue and other contaminants.

This idea caught my attention during a Professional Development Course at APEX EXPO 2026, where presentations from Mike Bixenman of Magnalytix, Vladimir Sitko of PBT-works, and Adam Klett of KYZEN addressed the challenges of removing flux residues from highly dense electronic assemblies. The information was extremely applicable and relevant.

Changes in PCB feature sizes are affecting everything in cleaning. We’re cleaning no-clean fluxes in some cases, because there’s zero tolerance for residue. The formulations are changing, and legacy cleaning equipment sometimes cannot perform as required under today’s standards. Bixenman, Sitko, and Klett made these challenges very clear, and I knew that the topic needed a much wider audience, so I invited them to contribute to this issue on cleaning.

In his article, Sitko reviews the main types of cleaning equipment, how they work, and what they’re best suited for. Klett discusses state-of-the-art cleaning solution chemistries, and Bixenman explains how shrinking geometries and changing component dimensions are creating new challenges. Grouped together, these three articles present a solid explanation of today’s cleaning processes.

But that’s not all. In his article, Jon Dean of Cold Jet reveals an entirely different implementation to cleaning: dry ice pressure. This process has been perfected in other industries, and now, the company is bringing its approach to electronic assemblies.

Also in this issue, we focus on reliability. Stan Rak’s EV reliability series discusses the importance of materials, and MacDermid Alpha’s Ebad Rehman contributes an article titled, “Right-Sizing Silver,” a deep dive into solder formulations to improve reliability. 

On a more celebratory note, we join Andrea Furnari and Dustin Warren to reflect on SPEA’s 50-year anniversary. I bet you didn’t know that SPEA founder, Luciano Bonari, is still active in the company. We also highlight an exciting new venture for EPTAC, which opened a fabulous training facility in New Hampshire to much fanfare. Find out how this move will have a positive impact on the industry.

From our columnists, Brian Buyea discusses “When Material Choice Defines RF Performance,” Nash Bell makes a case for component reclamation, and Josh Casper ponders “When Traditional Depaneling Methods Reach Their Limits.”

Of course, this is all made possible by our advertising partners, whose support has kept our work moving forward for all these years. In addition, look through our help-wanted section in each issue. We continue to live and dream electronics manufacturing (right alongside our passionate and dedicated readers), so enjoy this month’s issue, and we’ll see you again in July.

This column originally appeared in the June 2026 issue of SMT007 Magazine.