acp systems has expanded its test capacities to meet the high particulate and filmic cleanliness requirements for high-tech components. The construction and equipment of a new cleanroom technical center enable cleaning tests to be carried out up to cleanliness class ISO 5 with the dry quattroClean snow blasting technology and the cleanliness achieved to be verified.
Electronics cleaning with snow blasting technologyThedemand for ultra-clean components is increasing in all industries. Particulate cleanliness requirements down to the sub-micrometer range and a very high level of cleanliness with regard to filmic-organic and inorganic residual contamination must be met. acp systems has responded to these changes with quattroClean snow blasting technology solutions designed for cleanrooms. This is a dry process for full-surface or partial component cleaning. The cleaning medium is climate-neutral, liquid carbon dioxide, which is fed through a wear-free two-substance ring nozzle, expanded and bundled into fine snow particles and removes particulate and film contamination from the surface using a jet of compressed air and four mechanisms of action.
QuattroClean cleaning systems are used by manufacturers in the sensor and microsystems technology, semiconductor supply, aerospace, medical technology and automotive industries in cleanrooms of various ISO classes. In order to enable users from these industries to carry out cleaning tests under ultra-clean conditions, the company has built a cleanroom pilot plant at its Ditzingen site, which has been available since June of this year.
Cleanroom class 5 requirements are met
The new technical center is based on a validated class ISO 7 cleanroom with zones up to class 5 in accordance with ISO 14644-1. The design and equipment of the two integrated JetStation-HP cleaning systems also meet the requirements of cleanroom class 5.
The media preparation for the liquid carbon dioxide ensures a purity of the process medium of 99.995 %. The compressed air treatment ensures quality 1.2.1. in accordance with ISO 8573-1:2010. A gas scrubber is integrated into this ultra-pure compressed air media supply, which filters out traces of organic substances to produce the air quality required in semiconductor production, for example.
Cleaning tests and feasibility studies can be carried out on a wide range of components in the technical center. This includes components that cannot be wet-chemically cleaned due to their dimensions or because they are already pre-assembled, or where the required cleanliness could not be reproducibly achieved with previously used processes.
Various detection technologies are available to check the cleanliness achieved. Any necessary transportation of the cleaned components is carried out in cleanroom-compatible packaging.
Media preparation ensures that the recycled carbon dioxide is 99.995% pure and that the compressed air quality is 1.2.1. in accordance with ISO 8573-1:2010. In order to generate the air quality required in semiconductor production, for example, a gas scrubber is also integrated into the compressed air clean media supply (XCDA)
