-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueCounterfeit Concerns
The distribution of counterfeit parts has become much more sophisticated in the past decade, and there's no reason to believe that trend is going to be stopping any time soon. What might crop up in the near future?
Solder Printing
In this issue, we turn a discerning eye to solder paste printing. As apertures shrink, and the requirement for multiple thicknesses of paste on the same board becomes more commonplace, consistently and accurately applying paste becomes ever more challenging.
A Culture of Thriving
One cannot simply command thriving; it must be nurtured, developed, and encouraged. In this issue, we explore strategies to improve your working relationship model—both internally and externally. In this culture of thriving, your business will grow in the process.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Coming Clean with KYZEN
April 7, 2023 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
At the recent SMTA Dallas Expo & Tech Forum, I spoke with Fernando Rueda, sales manager of the Americas for KYZEN, about the company’s newest technologies and trends he’s seeing in SMT cleaning processes. As Fernando points out, cleaning is now a requirement for most boards, and the cleaning process becomes more challenging as features get smaller and faster. No-clean technology can often make a challenging situation worse.
Andy Shaughnessy: Fernando, as sales manager of the Americas, what are your responsibilities?
Fernando Rueda: I oversee sales and technical support for North and Latin America.
Shaughnessy: How are things going at KYZEN? I know you all have had quite a few good years.
Rueda: Yes, we are extremely busy. After a great 2022, we started very strong this year, now beating records as we have every year over the past decade or so. Everything looks good.
Shaughnessy: What sort of trends are you seeing in cleaning?
Rueda: Cleaning these days is becoming must-do; it’s pretty much a requirement. The technology evolves, everything gets more sophisticated with higher performance and smaller boards. That drives things toward cleaning to maintain reliability.
Shaughnessy: How’s business going for you?
Rueda: We’ve had unprecedented growth, even through the pandemic. We’ve been doing very well and continue to do very well. We must be doing something right.
Shaughnessy: It still seems like there’s confusion about cleaning. For years, we heard all about no-clean processes, but no-clean was really a misnomer, wasn’t it?
Rueda: That’s correct. No-clean is just a marketing term. Somebody came up with that term, but you still have residues that could potentially affect the performance of your device. If you have a high-reliability, high-precision product, you can’t leave any residue on the board. You need to clean it regardless of whether it’s no-clean or clean.
Shaughnessy: It’s just getting more and more complex for cleaning, with densities constantly getting tighter.
Rueda: Yes, absolutely. Technology doesn’t make our job easier; it makes it even harder. The solar space technology segment is trying to come up with a no-clean product. They say, “You don’t need to clean this.” All right, but that makes it difficult or impossible to remove residue because it’s not meant to be cleaned. As a result, it becomes much harder to clean, but that’s why we keep developing new products and new technology to meet those challenges that the technology is presenting to us as it evolves.
Shaughnessy: Have you been to the SMTA Dallas show before?
Rueda: Yes, several times. This is one of the best shows that SMTA has put together and the local chapter does a great job with the show.
Shaughnessy: Where are you based, Fernando?
Rueda: I’m based the Washington, D.C., area, very close to Dulles airport.
Shaughnessy: That’s handy; I know you travel a lot. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Rueda: We have some great products here, like our Aquanox A4626. That, in combination with process control system (PCS), provides all the traceability and reliability that you need in a new cleaning process. The Aquanox is our latest technology. Our PCS is the only system in the industry that’s been around for more than two decades and still performing; just about every single unit that we’ve sold is still functioning. Hundreds of them are still working out in the field. No other product like this can make those claims.
Shaughnessy: That’s impressive. Well, it’s always good to see you guys.
Rueda: Really nice to see you too.
Suggested Items
Intervala Hosts Employee Car and Motorcycle Show, Benefit Nonprofits
08/27/2024 | IntervalaIntervala hosted an employee car and motorcycle show, aptly named the Vala-Cruise and it was a roaring success! Employees had the chance to show off their prized wheels, and it was incredible to see the variety and passion on display.
KIC Honored with IPC Recognition for 25 Years of Membership and Contributions to Electronics Manufacturing Industry
06/24/2024 | KICKIC, a renowned pioneer in thermal process and temperature measurement solutions for electronics manufacturing, is proud to announce that it has been recognized by IPC for 25 years of membership and significant contributions to electronics manufacturing.
Boeing Starliner Spacecraft Completes Successful Crewed Docking with International Space Station
06/07/2024 | BoeingNASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams successfully docked Boeing's Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), about 26 hours after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
KIC’s Miles Moreau to Present Profiling Basics and Best Practices at SMTA Wisconsin Chapter PCBA Profile Workshop
01/25/2024 | KICKIC, a renowned pioneer in thermal process and temperature measurement solutions for electronics manufacturing, announces that Miles Moreau, General Manager, will be a featured speaker at the SMTA Wisconsin Chapter In-Person PCBA Profile Workshop.
The Drive Toward UHDI and Substrates
09/20/2023 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamPanasonic’s Darren Hitchcock spoke with the I-Connect007 Editorial Team on the complexities of moving toward ultra HDI manufacturing. As we learn in this conversation, the number of shifting constraints relative to traditional PCB fabrication is quite large and can sometimes conflict with each other.