See Us at APEX 2012 - Booth #1320

Smart Sonic unveiled the world's first ultrasonic stencil cleaning process in 1990 at the NEPCON West Show.

For the past two decades Smart Sonic has offered the only stencil cleaning process that has kept pace with the many changes driven by environmental regulations and technology's "faster, smaller, cheaper" syndrome:

• Changes in stencil materials from brass to stainless steel to nickel-etched foils; from cast aluminum and extruded aluminum frames to frameless stencils;
• Changes in fabrication from chem-etch to laser-cut to E-fab apertures;
• Changes in cleaning chemistries from CFC and VOC solvents to semi-aqueous to aqueous chemistries;
• Changes in cleaning machines from vapor degreasing to spray-in-air to spray-under-immersion to ultrasonics;
• Changes in solder paste from RA, RMA, water washable, synthetic, and no-clean to lead-free.

Smart Sonic is the only stencil cleaning process to support all of these changes with the right machine, the best chemistry, and the correct waste management. Smart Sonic users have never needed to modify or replace their stencil cleaning process since 1990, saving them thousands of dollars in needless process and equipment changes.

In 1999 the Smart Sonic Stencil Cleaning Process was certified environmentally safe, user safe and effective by the California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and verified by the U.S. EPA's Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program. No other cleaning process has since obtained this recognition.

Most recently, Smart Sonic introduced EnviroGuard!^™, the only 100% closed-loop aqueous-based stencil cleaner.

What will the standard be tomorrow? The only thing for certain is yet more change and Smart Sonic will provide the leadership in stencil-cleaning technology to support the changes for another 20 years!

440-R SMT Detergent is now available in ready-to-use spray bottles for safe and effective manual cleaning of SMT stencils and related tooling. 440-R SMT Detergent is the most widely used and only stencil-cleaning chemistry verified for specific parameters of environmental safety, user safety and cleaning efficiency by the U.S. EPA's Environmental Technology Verification Program. While ultrasonic technology is the most effective methodology for removing solder paste from SMT stencils, manual cleaning continues to be the most common methodology worldwide.

Stencil cleaning has been identified as the most hazardous process with the greatest potential environmental impact associated with SMT assembly. Flammable and VOC solvents such as alcohol and acetone have been commonly used. Ready-to-use 440-R SMT Detergent replaces these hazardous solvents with a safe water soluble detergent that cleans more effectively to improve print production and eliminates the noxious odors and hazards associated with solvent cleaning.

• The next best thing to using a Smart Sonic stencil cleaner
• Non-Hazardous
• Non-Flammable
• No VOCs
• RoHS Compliant
• Eliminates the hazards and noxious odors of solvent cleaners
• Safe on all metals and plastics
• Economical
• Just spray on and wipe off
• Cleans all types of solder paste & even in the apertures!

440-R SMT Detergent was winner of this year's Global Technology Award for Best Cleaning Material presented at the 2005 Productronica Show in Munich Germany. The Global Technology Award celebrates the very best innovations in the printed circuit assembly and packaging industries.

Stencil cleaning has been identified as the most hazardous process associated with SMT assembly; heavy metal exposure, noxious / flammable chemistries and vapors all pose hazards to the operator. 440-R SMT Detergent eliminates these hazards with a mildly alkaline non-hazardous and environmentally safe aqueous detergent.

440-R SMT Detergent was formulated specifically to clean all types of solder paste from fine-pitch stencils while eliminating the health, safety and environmental hazards of VOC solvents such as alcohol and terpenes and hot corrosive saponifier chemistries commonly used in stencil-cleaning applications.

440-R SMT Detergent is the only cleaning chemistry verified for specific parameters of environmental safety, user safety and cleaning efficiency by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Technology Verification Program yet, when used in a Smart Sonic Stencil Cleaner, it is guaranteed to clean any type of solder paste from any fine-pitch stencil which is important if the assembler needs to use multiple solder pastes or plans to change solder pastes in the future as 440-R SMT Detergent will support the change and not require a change of chemistry, equipment or waste management protocol.

440-R SMT Detergent effectively cleans all types of solder paste without heat. Stencils are heat-sensitive and most stencil manufacturers recommend their stencils not be exposed to temperatures higher than 43° C (110° F) as the glue that bonds the screen to the frame and metal-etched foil is heat-cured. Hot wash water or hot drying air can breakdown the glue causing detachment, distortion or misregistration of the etched image due to expansion and contraction. 440-R SMT Detergent eliminates these concerns and conserves energy.

Because 440-R SMT Detergent contains no hazardous ingredients or VOCs, the wastewater qualifies for routine liquid evaporation in standard evaporation equipment. The non-hazardous liquid can be evaporated to atmosphere reducing everything back to the original solid solder paste for recycling. When using an evaporator, there's absolutely no liquid hazardous waste for disposal.

Most applications require less than 3 gallons (12 litres) per month at a total cost of less than only $70.00! 440-R SMT Detergent also cleans post solder flux residues from pallets & oven radiators and safely removes wet SMD adhesives from stencils and misprinted PCBs. 440-R SMT Detergent is distributed worldwide by SMT Detergent Corp. from facilities in California and the U.K.