Reduce Equipment Downtime: Why Proper Manual Cleaning of Reflow Ovens and Other Production Equipment is Essential
Residues and contamination in reflow ovens, sintering presses, and drying ovens can affect production processes and increase cleaning requirements. While the cleanliness of electronic assemblies is closely monitored, production equipment and tools can easily receive less attention. Regular and targeted manual cleaning helps ensure reliable equipment operation and keeps downtime to a minimum.
Clean Equipment, Stable Processes: WhyShould Reflow Ovens and Sintering Presses be Cleaned Regularly?
Not only is choosing the right cleaning agent crucial, but so is regular cleaning. Since reflow ovens are usually cleaned manually, this process ties up employee resources and requires equipment downtime. Under time and cost pressures, necessary cleaning intervals are therefore often extended, with potential consequences for process stability and equipment availability.
Fewer Residues, Less DowntimeWhat Are the Consequences of Residues in a Reflow Oven?
During the soldering process, evaporating flux as well as outgassing from solder paste and solder mask can deposit on the surfaces of the reflow oven. If these residues are not removed regularly, they can impair the soldering process:
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Required peak temperatures are no longer reliably achieved in individual heating zones.
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The soldering profile may become unstable, and process reliability may decrease.
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Residues and gas emissions can contaminate subsequent assemblies and compromise their quality.
Regular Cleaning Reduces Effort and Downtime
Similar requirements apply to sintering presses and drying ovens for sintering pastes. There, too, sintering residues must be regularly removed from the equipment.
Timing is crucial here: If contaminants are removed early on, stubborn deposits can be avoided. This reduces cleaning effort, equipment downtime, and maintenance costs.
What Matters in Equipment CleaningWhat Factors Are Critical When Cleaning Wave Soldering, Reflow, and Drying Ovens?
In addition to the cleaning performance of the cleaning agent used, there are three key factors that users and process managers should consider when selecting or optimizing their cleaning process.
Since cleaning takes place directly on or inside the oven, employees inevitably come into close contact with the cleaning agent. Therefore, occupational safety should be the top priority when selecting a cleaner.
Ideally, a cleaner should have the following characteristics:
- No health hazard labeling
- non-flammable or no flash point
- low odor emission
- safe to use even in enclosed or hard-to-reach areas of the facility
A safe-to-use product not only reduces risks to employees but also simplifies handling in daily use.
Every cleaning of a brazing or drying furnace requires a system shutdown. During this time, production cannot take place, and the employees assigned to the task are unavailable for other duties. To keep downtime to a minimum, the cleaning process should therefore be designed as efficiently as possible.
Two factors are particularly crucial here:
- Application on warm surfaces: The cleaner should be ready for use before the oven has completely cooled down. This eliminates the often lengthy wait time before cleaning can begin.
- Short contact times: A high-performance formulation quickly dissolves residues and reduces the need for manual cleaning.
The faster the cleaning is completed, the sooner the equipment can be put back into productive use.
In addition to workplace safety and efficiency, the cleaner’s compatibility also plays an important role. The cleaner should not corrode aluminum or epoxy surfaces. The cleaning agent should also be free of ingredients that leave residues on furnace and shaft surfaces. This prevents harmful deposits from forming on component surfaces when the equipment is restarted, which can impair product quality and cause additional process risks.
Key requirements are therefore:
- high material compatibility
- residue-free cleaning
- no negative effects on subsequent manufacturing processes
- good environmental compatibility
CLEANING PERFORMANCE MEETS PROCESS REQUIREMENTS Water-Based Cleaner for Reflow and Soldering Ovens
In many cases, water-based cleaners meet these requirements particularly well and are therefore often the preferred solution for manual oven cleaning.
VIGON RC 303 was developed specifically for this application. The water-based cleaner removes stubborn residues in reflow ovens, wave soldering systems, and drying ovens for sintering pastes, and can be used on both cold and warm surfaces ranging from 20 to 50 °C.
Three Steps to a Clean SystemHow to Manually Clean Reflow and Soldering Ovens
The manual cleaning method described here is suitable for reflow ovens, wave soldering systems, sintering presses, and drying ovens for sintering pastes.
1 | Spray the cleaning solution onto cold or lukewarm surfaces and let it sit for about 3–5 minutes.
2 | Wipe away the dissolved residue with a lint-free paper towel or cloth.
3 | Let the cleaned surfaces air dry.
The before-and-after comparison shows,
just how significantly deposits in a SMT rework oven
can be reduced through targeted manual cleaning.
Efficient CleaningVIGON RC 303 for Manual Equipment Cleaning
VIGON RC 303 is a water-based cleaner specifically developed to remove stubborn residues from reflow ovens, wave soldering systems, and sintering paste drying ovens. It offers high cleaning efficiency while maximizing equipment availability.
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Short application time
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Can be used on both cold and warm surfaces (20–50 °C)
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Excellent material compatibility
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No flash point
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High occupational safety
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Particularly environmentally friendly
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Not subject to labeling requirements
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Low odor
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Also suitable for pre-cleaning of cooling traps
Would you like to optimize your equipment cleaning process?Our Experts Can Assist You With Application and Process Design
Extra Tip: Using a Pressure Pump Sprayer
To Make Cleaning Solderingand Drying Ovens Easier
Specially designed for spraying large surfaces in a matter of seconds, this handy pressure pump sprayer is the ideal tool for cleaning large-area reflow ovens, wave soldering systems, and drying ovens.
The adjustable spray nozzle allows for various spray patterns, ranging from a conical pattern to a straight jet. Thanks to the safety valve, pressure is automatically released once it reaches 3 bar.
More about the VIGON RC 303 cleaner