The Problem This Machine Solves
High-volume SMT lines produce 500–2,000+ boards per shift. Every board needs post-reflow cleaning — but the bottleneck isn’t the reflow oven, it’s the cleaning step. Standard batch cleaners clean one board at a time with fixed nozzle positions, creating shadow zones behind tall components and requiring multiple passes to cover the full board. At production volumes, that cycle time adds up: a 15-minute cleaning cycle on a line running 1,000 boards per shift means the cleaner can’t keep up.
Triangle Spray — Wide Coverage, Fewer Passes
The Hydro-clean LTS uses triangle spray patterns — a nozzle design that creates a wider coverage arc per nozzle pass. Instead of a narrow linear spray that requires multiple sweeps to cover the board, the triangle pattern reaches a broader area in each pass. The result: fewer passes needed to clean the full board, shorter cycle times, and consistent cleaning across boards with mixed component heights.
The double-layer PCB fixture stacks two boards vertically in the cleaning chamber, processing both simultaneously. Combined with the triangle spray’s wider coverage, this gives the LTS the highest throughput in the Hydro-clean family for standard stand-off assemblies.
Key Specifications
| Spray Technology | Triangle spray — wide coverage pattern, nozzle arm moves left and right |
| Throughput | High — optimized for production volumes; double-layer fixture |
| PCB Fixture | Double-layer — two boards processed simultaneously |
| Cleaning Capacity | Large capacity, mass cleaning |
| Liquid Pipelines | Up to 3 completely independent closed-loop circuits |
| Chemistry Compatibility | Compatible with various chemical media — broad formulation support |
| Drying | Powerful heating and drying system |
| Shadow Elimination | Spray in air without shadow — nozzle arm traverses full width |
| Rinse Options | Double rinse optional |
| Process Control | Visual window; multiple standard and custom fixtures |
Control System: Windows OS with touchscreen HMI — programmable recipe storage/recall, cycle data logging, password-protected process parameters, and exportable production records for traceability (IPC-6012, MIL-STD-883, AS9100).
Applications
- High-volume SMT production — rapid cleaning of standard-profile assemblies at production speed
- Post-reflow cleaning — flux residue removal on boards exiting the reflow oven
- Misprint board cleaning — recovering boards with incorrect paste deposits
- Pallet/tray cleaning — removing contamination from SMT carriers and process pallets
- Mechanical component cleaning — oil and contamination removal from machined parts
- Handprint pollution removal — fingerprint and handling contamination from manual assembly stages
- FOD removal — foreign object debris from board handling and manufacturing
- Pre-coating cleaning — conformal coating adhesion on high-volume production boards
How It Works
Double-layer loading: Operator loads two boards into the stacked fixture. The triangle spray nozzle arm is positioned to cover both board levels simultaneously.
Wash stage: Heated cleaning chemistry sprayed through the triangle nozzle pattern. The nozzle arm moves left and right across the full board width, ensuring no shadow zones behind tall components. The wider spray arc means each pass covers more area — reducing total passes needed. Chemistry dissolves flux residue, solder paste, and organic contamination.
Rinse stage: DI water rinse removes chemistry and dissolved contaminants. Up to 3 independent liquid pipelines keep wash and rinse circuits completely separated. Optional double rinse adds a second DI water stage for enhanced ionic cleanliness.
Drying stage: Powerful heating system evaporates all moisture from both board levels. The drying system is sized for the double-layer fixture — ensuring both boards dry completely in the same cycle time.
Hydro-clean LTS vs. Alternatives
| Feature | Hydro-clean LTS | Hydro-clean AS | Hydro-clean LDS | Manual Spray |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spray pattern | Triangle — wide coverage | Linear direct | Linear direct — low stand-off optimized | Fixed nozzle |
| Throughput | Highest — double-layer fixture | Standard — single board | Standard — single board | Low |
| Low stand-off cleaning | Good — for standard stand-off | Good | Best — optimized for 0.05mm | Poor |
| Shadow elimination | Traversing nozzle arm — no shadow | Linear sweep | Linear sweep | Shadow zones |
| Chemistry flexibility | Broad — various chemical media | Aqueous | Aqueous | Single chemistry |
| Pallet/tray cleaning | Yes — designed for it | Fixture dependent | Fixture dependent | Manual |
| Liquid pipelines | Up to 3 independent | Isolated | 3 independent | Single |
What to Send for a Quote
- Board dimensions — maximum length × width × thickness
- Component profile — tallest component; lowest stand-off gap
- Throughput requirement — boards per hour or shift; confirm double-layer is sufficient
- Flux type — rosin, water-soluble, no-clean
- Pallet/tray sizes — if also cleaning SMT carriers and process pallets
- Cleanliness specification — IPC-6012 class, MIL-STD-2000, or internal spec
- Chemistry preference — specific brand or formulation if required
Target Industries
High-volume EMS providers, consumer electronics manufacturing, LED assembly, automotive electronics, industrial controls, power supply manufacturing, any facility running high-throughput SMT lines.
Related Equipment
- Hydro-clean LDS — linear direct spray optimized for low stand-off packages when BGA/QFN penetration matters more than throughput
- Hydro-clean AS — automatic PCBA cleaning with AGV integration for automated production lines
- Hydro-clean ARRAY — inline continuous cleaning for direct integration into SMT production lines