Electrolube Safewash range is the most effective family of aqueous cleaning products available. It is currently in use by major manufacturers in a wide variety of cleaning machines. It provides superior cleaning performance to military and commercial standards at minimal cost - both financial and environmental.

The Safewash Range is effective in all equipment types including batch ultrasonics, in-line spray, dishwasher and also by hand. Products are available for use with sensitive metals such as aluminium, copper and alloys, whilst compatibility with plastics and rubbers is assured.

The benefits of Safewash include excellent cleaning performance at room temperature, low odour, very low toxicity, and it continues to clean effectively over long time periods.

Eventually, as Safewash continues to absorb flux, its efficiency begins to decline. The exact time when replacement is required is dependent upon the type and amount of flux used, the surface area cleaned and the cleanliness level required. Methods to determine the status of the Safewash include electrical conductivity and pH measurement.

Solvents

Solvents as defined here are fast evaporating, organic materials. For ease of discussion they may be split into flammable and non-flammable solvents.

Flammable solvents are characterised by relatively low toxicity, good materials compatibility together with a wide range of evaporation rates and flashpoints.

Non-flammable solvents fall into two groups, traditional chlorinated solvents are characterised by relatively high levels of toxicity, poor materials compatibility but are fast drying. The new non-flammable fluorinated solvent blends exhibit excellent solvency, fast drying and relatively low toxicity with good materials compatibility.

The use of solvent based cleaners may be necessary when the PCB or assembly contains unsealed components or water sensitive devices.

Both solvent types generally require specialist equipment for their use in high volume manufacturing to protect against toxicity or problems associated with their flashpoint.

This specialist equipment is expensive and running costs are high in comparison with aqueous systems. However, hydrocarbon solvents are particularly effective for small scale production and bench rework as they clean effectively, and remove a wide range of soils. They dry extremely quickly, are easy to use and leave no residues.

Electrolube has developed a range of hydrocarbon solvents to meet the requirements of many applications. In general, the faster the evaporation rate, the lower the flashpoint; i.e. the higher the flammability risk.