How will electronic precision cleaning be impacted when adopting lead-free solder technology

Conversion to lead free alloys touches all areas of electronic assembly. Low solids no-clean flux technology has allowed many assemblers the ability to curtail the post assembly precision-c leaning requirement. The favorable lead free alloys primarily comprise of Sri with Ag, Bi, Cu, Sb, In or Zn. Will the conversion to one of these alloys support a no-clean process? For high reliability assemblies where cleaning is a requirement, flux residue removal may be more difficult due to the higher reflow temperatures required. Both flux technology and lead free alloys will be studied in a designed experiment to determine if current precision cleaning technologies will effectively remove post solder residues. The study will evaluate the leading lead-free alloys, flux technology and manufacturing process parameters. The alloy composition, components, unique considerations and restrictions will be evaluated in relation to post solder cleaning.