Implementation of Dry Ice Blasting for Flux Cleaning on Post – Soldering PCBs

Abstract

Flux residue remaining on Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) after the soldering process can lead to surface contamination and corrosion, potentially affecting product reliability and performance. This study evaluates the implementation of dry ice blasting as an efficient and environmentally friendly cleaning method for removing flux residues from PCBs. The cleaning process was performed using the A500 Dry Ice Machine, which utilizes solid carbon dioxide (CO₂) pellets to remove contaminants without causing damage to sensitive electronic components. In addition to assessing cleaning effectiveness, the study investigates the electrostatic safety of the process through Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) measurements, including ion balance and surface resistivity tests. The results demonstrate that dry ice blasting effectively removes flux residues while maintaining ESD parameters within acceptable industry standard limits. These findings indicate that dry ice blasting is a reliable and sustainable solution for post-soldering PCB cleaning applications in electronics manufacturing. Keywords: Dry Ice Blasting, Flux Cleaning, Printed Circuit Board (PCB), Electrostatic Discharge (ESD), A500 Dry Ice Machine.