To secure a future-oriented and competitive position in the market, many companies are restructuring their product offerings. The trend is towards sophisticated solutions for high-tech industries. This is not only associated with higher demands on the precision of components but also with extremely strict requirements regarding particulate and film cleanliness, which must be achieved in a process-safe, economical, and sustainable manner. This requires a changed approach to cleaning as well as a critical look at the entire production chain and manufacturing environment, along with an experienced partner.
As part of the industrial transformation, more and more companies are focusing on the production of high-quality products and components with good margins. The focus is on high-tech industries that promise stable demand through growth in the future. The very high requirements for manufacturing precision in these industrial sectors, such as the semiconductor supply industry, electronics manufacturing, e-mobility, optical and optoelectronic industries, sensor technology, photonics, thin-film technology, vacuum, laser, and analytical technology, include the cleanliness of the components.
And this is regardless of whether it concerns barely visible electronic parts, millimeter-sized fasteners, precision optics, or meter-sized structural components, and from which materials they are made.
Define cleanliness according to needs
This trend presents challenging tasks for part cleaning. Unlike classical component cleaning, where typically larger quantities of production residues, such as chips and processing media, need to be cleaned, fine and high purity cleaning focuses on removing minimal residual contamination. The specifications for particulate cleanliness extend into the submicrometer range.
For filmic residual contamination, depending on the industry, component, and its application, up to nanolayers of, for example, organic and inorganic residues, ionic residues, and remnants of microorganisms must be removed in a process-safe and reproducible manner. In high purity applications, such as the production of components for EUV lithography, so-called Hydrogen Induced Outgassing (HIO) substances must also be considered.
The requirements to be met during cleaning regarding particulate cleanliness are specified by indicating the corresponding surface cleanliness class (ORK) according to EN ISO 14644-9 (SCP – surface cleanliness by particle concentration) or the corresponding VDI guideline 2083, sheet 9.1. The filmic-chemical, organic, and inorganic surface cleanliness is usually defined by individual specifications or factory standards. Additionally, outgassing rates that are evaluated via mass spectrometers may be included.
These demanding tasks require a partner on the plant side who possesses comprehensive technology know-how as well as knowledge about the applications and the physical relationships. On the other hand, experience in this cleaning area and corresponding testing possibilities for cleaning trials under production-related conditions should be available. As a seasoned full-service provider of future-oriented and globally available solutions for fine and high purity cleaning, Ecoclean meets these requirements.
Select cleaning processes and plant technology appropriately
To meet these very strict cleanliness specifications in a process-safe, reproducible, and sustainable manner, several cleaning steps along the production chain are usually required. When selecting the optimal solution for the respective cleaning process, the following questions play a role: What material is the part made of? What are the geometry, dimensions, and weight of the component? What contaminants need to be removed? What cleanliness specifications must be achieved? Which cleaning process and which chemistry are suitable for this?
Based on this, it can be determined which and how many cleaning steps with which medium and which process technologies are required. Other aspects to consider include the required quality of the rinsing medium and the appropriate drying technology, as well as cleanliness-compliant part handling and environmental conditions, such as connection or integration into a clean or sterile room.
Cleaning along the production chain
The basis for fine or high purity cleaning are 'oil and grease-free' parts. To achieve and maintain this cleanliness level, a cleaning process is carried out after various processing steps, such as machining, forming, grinding, or polishing. The effect of the cleaning medium used is enhanced by various, almost arbitrarily combinable process technologies, such as steam degreasing, spray, high-pressure, immersion, ultrasonic, and megasonic cleaning, as well as plasma cleaning, injection flood washing, Pulsated Pressure Cleaning (PPC), or ultrasonic plus. These process options ensure that the required cleanliness is reliably achieved even with geometrically complex workpieces.
For intermediate cleaning processes or parts whose cleanliness specification is not too strict, modularly designed single or multi-chamber systems operating under full vacuum, such as EcoCstretch or EcoCvela, are usually used, which operate depending on the processing medium with an environmentally friendly solvent, e.g., hydrocarbons or modified alcohol, or a tailored water-based cleaner.
The construction, plant technology, media guidance, and preparation of these systems are specifically designed for fine cleaning and high purity applications. Due to the concentrated process mechanics in the working chamber, such as injection flood washing, ultrasonic, and PPC, this type of system also offers advantages when cleaning large and complex workpieces.
For parts with a large material variety, high throughput requirements, and/or strict cleanliness specifications, ultrasonic multi-bath immersion systems are the optimal solution. In addition to individually designed cleaning systems for high-end applications, the plant manufacturer offers an efficient solution with systems consisting of standardized modules from the UCMSmartLine and UCMPerformanceLine model series. The electrical and control technology is integrated into the respective modules for the process steps of cleaning, rinsing, drying, loading, and unloading, as well as for the transport system. This, along with the equipment with requirement-compliant process mechanics such as PPC, allows the systems to be optimally adapted to the respective task. For future security with increased requirements, the possibility of later expanding the cleaning system is provided.
Test Center for process design or contract cleaning
Ecoclean determines the appropriate plant concept for the respective application as well as the optimal cleaning process in its own High Purity Test Center. It features a clean room of Class 7 with Class 6 zones, as well as various measurement and analysis methods (e.g., microscopy, residual gas analysis, UV light, and fluorescence measurement). In addition to the product-specific development of cleaning processes and parameters, the plant manufacturer also uses the test center for the execution of contract cleaning orders.
A packaging station for cleaned parts ensures that the achieved high cleanliness also reaches the customer.
Contact:
