{"id":2304,"date":"2023-08-15T08:06:09","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T00:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/?p=2304"},"modified":"2026-10-02T17:33:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T09:33:22","slug":"pcb-cleaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/faq\/pcb-cleaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is it necessary to clean PCBs?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When troubleshooting circuit faults that result in non-functional or poor performance, engineers typically run simulations or use other analysis tools to examine the circuit at the schematic level. However, sometimes these methods alone are insufficient to resolve the issue, and even the most skilled engineers may find themselves confused and frustrated. To avoid falling into such a predicament, we\u2019d like to share a simple yet crucial tip: keep things clean!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-6554\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pcb-cleaning-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"PCB Cleaning\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pcb-cleaning-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pcb-cleaning-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pcb-cleaning-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/pcb-cleaning.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>The Importance of Staying Clean<\/h2>\n<p>Maintaining proper cleanliness is critical to circuit performance. Certain materials used during PCB assembly or modification\u2014particularly flux\u2014can cause serious circuit functionality issues.<\/p>\n<h3>The Role and Issues of Flux<\/h3>\n<p>Flux is a chemical compound used to facilitate the soldering of components to a PCB. However, if not properly cleaned after soldering, flux can compromise the surface insulation resistance of the PCB, leading to a significant degradation in circuit performance.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Keep Things Clean to Optimize Circuit Performance<\/h2>\n<p>To maintain cleanliness and optimize circuit performance, the following steps can help you achieve better results:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Comparative Experiment on Cleanliness Levels<\/h3>\n<p>During testing, we conducted experiments to compare cleaning effectiveness and recorded changes in circuit performance after cleaning at different levels. The experiments included the following steps:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Not cleaned: No cleaning operations have been performed.<\/li>\n<li>Hand wash, air dry: Clean by hand, then let air dry.<\/li>\n<li>Ultrasonic cleaning, air drying, and baking: The parts undergo ultrasonic cleaning for deep cleaning, followed by air drying and baking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Results and Observations<\/h3>\n<p>When the sensor was not cleaned or was cleaned by hand, the bridge sensor voltage did not reach the expected level and remained low for an extended period. In addition, the uncleaned circuit board exhibited significant pickup of external noise. In contrast, after ultrasonic cleaning and baking, the bridge sensor voltage remained stable.<\/p>\n<p>Upon observing the output voltage of the INA333, we observed performance degradation caused by improper cleaning. The uncleaned circuit board exhibited DC errors, excessively long settling times, and severe pickup of external noise. The manually cleaned circuit board exhibited very low-frequency noise, and we ultimately identified the root cause as the air conditioning circulation within the test facility.<\/p>\n<p>Improper cleaning of solder flux can lead to significant performance degradation, particularly in high-precision DC circuits. For all manually assembled or modified PCBs, be sure to perform a final cleaning using ultrasonic cleaning or a similar method. After air-drying with a compressor, baking the assembled and cleaned PCB at a slightly higher temperature can effectively remove residual moisture.<\/p>\n<p>This simple \u201ckeep it clean\u201d tip will help you significantly reduce the time spent on troubleshooting, leaving you with more time to design excellent, high-precision circuits!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>1. Why is flux cleaning so important?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Flux cleaning prevents flux residue from seriously affecting circuit performance, ensuring the circuit functions properly and remains stable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Is ultrasonic cleaning suitable for all types of circuit boards?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes, ultrasonic cleaning is suitable for most types of circuit boards, but be sure to read the manufacturer's recommendations and guidelines before cleaning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. How should the circuit board be dried after cleaning?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After air-drying with an air compressor, the circuit board can be baked at an appropriate temperature to ensure it is completely dry.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. How often should I clean it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The frequency of cleaning depends on the circuit board's operating environment and usage frequency, but it is recommended to clean it regularly, especially for high-precision circuits.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Are there other cleaning methods that can be used instead of ultrasonic cleaning?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes, ultrasonic cleaning is an effective method, but other appropriate cleaning methods may also be used as needed. Please be sure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u5728\u6392\u9664\u975e\u529f\u80fd\u6027\u6216\u4e0d\u826f\u6027\u80fd\u7535\u8def\u6545\u969c\u65f6\uff0c\u5de5\u7a0b\u5e08\u901a\u5e38\u4f1a\u8fd0\u884c\u4eff\u771f\u6216\u4f7f\u7528\u5176\u4ed6\u5206\u6790\u5de5\u5177\uff0c\u4ece\u539f\u7406\u56fe\u5c42\u9762\u8003\u8651\u7535\u8def\u3002\u7136\u800c\uff0c\u6709\u65f6\u5373 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6554,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Why is it necessary to clean PCBs?","description":"Why is it necessary to clean PCBs? This article discusses the risks of reduced insulation caused by flux residue and presents the results of cleanliness comparison experiments to illustrate how maintaining a clean board surface affects signal integrity and reliability."},"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[144],"class_list":["post-2304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faq","tag-pcb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2304"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19238,"href":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304\/revisions\/19238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jingpengpcb.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}