Mike Konrad, Founder / CEO of Aqueous Technologies will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Surface Mount Technology Association - SMTA Ireland “Back to Basics” Conference, taking place Thursday, May 14 at the University of Limerick.
This event brings the focus back to fundamentals, something our industry benefits from now more than ever as complexity continues to increase.
Mike’s keynote, “Why Are We Cleaning ‘No-Clean’? A Fundamental Review of Post-Reflow Cleaning,” will take a step back and revisit the origins of no-clean flux, how we got here, and why cleaning remains a critical reliability tool in many applications today.
For decades, cleaning circuit assemblies was standard practice. That changed following the Montreal Protocol, which eliminated widely used CFC solvents and led to the rise of no-clean chemistries. But “no-clean” was never automatically synonymous with “no residue”, especially since modern circuit assemblies have a lower tolerance for residues than their predecessors.
In this session, we’ll cover:
• What flux residues actually are, and what else is left behind when assemblies aren’t cleaned
• How miniaturization and tighter conductor spacing have reduced tolerance for contamination
• Why harsh environments can activate seemingly benign residues
• When cleaning becomes essential for long-term reliability
The goal is simple: provide a clear, fundamentals-based understanding so engineers can make informed decisions based on application, environment, and risk, not assumptions.
If you’re attending, we look forward to seeing you in at the University of Limerick in Ireland.
You can learn more about the conference here:
Event program: