Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-05-29 Origin: Site
PCB Cleaner is a solvent-based or water-based cleaning agent used to remove flux residue, oil, grease, dust, fingerprints, and other contaminants from printed circuit boards (PCBs).
In electronics manufacturing, PCB cleaners are commonly used after soldering, rework, repair, testing, and before conformal coating. The objective is to reduce ionic contamination, improve surface cleanliness, and maintain electrical reliability.
Contaminants left on a PCB can affect electrical performance and long-term reliability.
Common risks include:
Corrosion of solder joints
Leakage current between conductors
Reduced conformal coating adhesion
Signal instability in high-density circuits
PCB cleaning is typically performed after wave soldering, reflow soldering, manual soldering, and repair operations.
The most common PCB contaminants include:
Contaminant | Source | Potential Impact |
|---|
Flux Residue | Soldering Process | Corrosion, leakage current |
Fingerprints | Manual Handling | Oxidation, poor coating adhesion |
Oil and Grease | Equipment and Assembly | Reduced solderability |
Dust Particles | Production Environment | Conductive contamination |
Silicone Residue | Lubricants and Sealants | Coating defects |
Removing these contaminants helps maintain consistent electrical performance.
PCB cleaners can generally be divided into four categories:
Typical Parameters:
Purity: 99%+
Flash Point: 12°C
Evaporation Rate: Medium
Suitable for:
Light flux removal
Maintenance cleaning
Laboratory applications
Limitations:
Limited oil removal capability
Can redistribute dissolved contaminants
Typical Parameters:
VOC Content: Low
Flash Point: Non-flammable
Cleaning Method: Spray or immersion
Suitable for:
Automated cleaning systems
High-volume manufacturing
Limitations:
Requires rinsing and drying equipment
Typical Product Model:
Isoparaffin C11-C13
High Purity Hydrogenated Isoparaffin
Typical Parameters:
Property | Typical Value |
Purity | ≥99% |
Aromatics | <0.01% |
Sulfur | <1 ppm |
Odor | Very Low |
Residue After Evaporation | None Visible |
Conductivity | Non-Conductive |
Water Content | <50 ppm |
Suitable for:
SMT assembly cleaning
Flux residue removal
PCB repair
Precision electronics cleaning
Typical Parameters:
Vacuum Process
No Liquid Solvent
High Surface Activation
Suitable for:
Semiconductor manufacturing
High-end electronics
Limitations:
High equipment cost
IPA and PCB cleaners are used for similar purposes but differ in cleaning efficiency and residue control.
Property | IPA | Isoparaffin PCB Cleaner |
Flux Removal | Moderate | High |
Oil Removal | Moderate | High |
Residue Risk | Medium | Low |
Material Compatibility | Good | Excellent |
Odor | Moderate | Low |
For heavy flux contamination and industrial production, dedicated PCB cleaners are typically preferred.
Most PCB cleaners formulated for electronics applications are designed to be non-corrosive and compatible with PCB substrates, connectors, and electronic components.
Before large-scale use, compatibility testing should be conducted on plastics, labels, rubber seals, and specialty coatings.
Residue depends on the cleaner formulation and contamination level.
High-purity isoparaffinic PCB cleaners typically evaporate completely and leave no visible residue under normal operating conditions.
Most PCB cleaners are intended for use on de-energized equipment.
Power should be disconnected before cleaning, and sufficient drying time should be allowed before re-energizing the circuit.
SMT assembly lines commonly use:
IPA
Water-based cleaners
High-purity isoparaffin cleaners
For no-clean flux removal and post-reflow cleaning, low-residue isoparaffinic solvents are frequently used because they combine cleaning efficiency with material compatibility.
Before conformal coating, contaminants such as flux residue, oil, silicone, and fingerprints should be removed.
A cleaner used before coating should provide:
Low residue
Fast evaporation
High cleanliness level
Good compatibility with coating systems
PCB repair operations often involve localized flux contamination after soldering.
Recommended cleaner characteristics include:
Fast drying
Non-conductive
No visible residue
Good penetration around components
Isoparaffinic hydrocarbon cleaners are commonly used for this purpose.
Product Type:
High Purity Hydrogenated Isoparaffin
Carbon Range:
C11-C13
Typical Technical Data:
Property | Value |
Appearance | Clear Liquid |
Odor | Low Odor |
Aromatic Content | <0.01% |
Sulfur Content | <1 ppm |
Density (20°C) | 0.75-0.78 g/cm³ |
Flash Point | >62°C |
Evaporation Residue | None Visible |
Conductivity | Non-Conductive |
PCB cleaning
SMT flux removal
Electronic component cleaning
Connector cleaning
Precision instrument maintenance
PCB Cleaner is a cleaning agent designed to remove contamination from printed circuit boards and electronic assemblies.
Yes. PCB cleaners are commonly used to remove rosin flux, no-clean flux residue, and soldering by-products.
For heavy contamination and industrial applications, dedicated PCB cleaners generally provide stronger cleaning performance and lower residue levels than IPA.
High-purity PCB cleaners are formulated to evaporate completely and leave little or no visible residue.
Yes. Removing oil, flux, and silicone contamination improves coating adhesion and coating consistency.
The suitable cleaner depends on the contamination type, cleaning process, environmental requirements, and material compatibility. High-purity isoparaffinic hydrocarbon cleaners are commonly used in SMT, PCB assembly, and electronics maintenance applications.
