Cleaning in SMT printers has become common practice. An automated stencil cleaning process allows for more reproducible results while significantly improving the print quality.

Access through apertures allows the cleaning medium and the solder paste to interact.  Using non-compatible products such as IPA, for instance, causes delineation of the printed solder paste.  In addition, IPA has a high vapor pressure which leads to large evaporation losses as well as increased VOC emissions.

Recent underside wipe cleaning studies have shown that the use of suitable cleaning agents such as VIGON® SC 200 and ZESTRON® SW reduces the cleaning agent consumption by a factor of 3-6, thus, making it more cost-effective than IPA.

In close cooperation with leading SMT printing equipment manufacturers such as DEK, MPM and EKRA, ZESTRON has developed specific water- and solvent-based product alternatives to IPA.