Guide de Choix et d'Utilisation des Solvants et Dégraissants Industriels

Citation

Ellis, B. (1999), "Guide de Choix et d'Utilisation des Solvants et Dégraissants Industriels", Soldering & Surface Mount Technology, Vol. 11 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ssmt.1999.21911bae.001

Guide de Choix et d'Utilisation des Solvants et Dégraissants Industriels

Guide de Choix et d'Utilisation des Solvants et Dégraissants Industriels

Various authorsAerospatiale and Centre Techniques des Industries Mécaniques (CETIM), 1998, Paperback, format A4,333 pages,ISBN 2-85400-426-4

Keywords Assembly, Electrical assembly, Electronics industry, Publication

What bug has bitten Brian Ellis that he is now reviewing French literature on mechanical processes in an English-language journal devoted essentially to electronics assembly? I have four reasons for doing this.

There is a wide overlap into the subject for defluxing electronics assemblies; the authors have indicated that the second edition may be enlarged to cover the particularities of defluxing; I am told that it is probable that the next edition will be translated into English; and, above all, it is by far the best work in any language, that I know of ­ and I have seen many ­ to help the practical persons in charge of the shop floor to choose their cleaning processes and methods.

This tome is attractively set out and printed in two colours on a coated paper and with a typography which is very easy to read. Its sheer volume makes it quite a heavy addition (I wouldd guess it is a good kilo) to the bookshelf. The value of its contents is much more than this weight represents. Its title, translated, reads "Guide to the choice and use of solvents and industrial degreasers" and this is very descriptive of what it is meant for.

This is not to say it is without faults, but they are few and of relatively little importance. The biggest negative criticism I can make is that the language is now and then a little obscure with neologisms and jargon, some of which would require a second glance by Francophone readers from outside France, such as in Belgium, Quebec or Switzerland, where technical jargon may be different. This is a little surprising from a nation that prides itself on maintaining the purity of its language. As one example, lessiviel is used both as a noun for an aqueous cleaning fluid and as an adjective describing it. This word exists in some recent French dictionaries only as a jargon adjective used in technical contexts since 1962, but not as a substantive, the noun being lessive, first used as long ago as the thirteenth century. However, anyone with a reasonable knowledge of French should have little difficulty following the text. Despite its completeness, there are a very few omissions. For example, the only HCFC solvent mentioned is HCFC-141b: neither HCFC-123 nor HCFC-225 is described. The former is entirely excusable, because its possible toxicity has meant that it has been withdrawn from production. On the other hand, HCFC-225 is an important substitute for CFC-113 and is widely used for some types of precision cleaning in countries where HCFCs are permitted.

What is good about this book? Well, within the context, it is very complete and methodical. The easiest way for me to describe it is to list how it is constructed. After an introduction which acts as an instruction manual for using the book to its best advantage, the first part describes the best methods of choosing cleaning products. This relies largely on a series of stage-by-stage tables, followed by some practical examples. Some of the tables are fairly complex but their use is explained. It covers all the parameters required in making a choice, such as the technical requirements, the compatibility, the economic aspects, health and safety and so on. For those who do not consider it necessary to follow the general method, there is a simpler one with direct references to other pages in the guide.

The second part is entitled Practical Information. It starts off with a description of the main chemical families used for cleaning, with the exception of saponifiers. This is followed by the technical elements of the applications, including the inevitable questions "How clean is clean?" and "How clean is clean enough?". Also in this section is a description of the popular processes. An important table defines the physical and chemical characteristics of products, indicating the interest that a parameter may have, the standards used for its determination, the SIunits used and some observations. There are many other similar tables of definition, including ones describing all the parameters of toxicity, the characteristics of industrial risks, environmental characteristics and so on. This is followed by the economical considerations but, perhaps, the section on the regulations in force is extremely important. Of course, this is based essentially on French requirements, but, as these have been mostly adopted from European regulations, this parochialism is no longer very important.

The second part is followed by ten Annexes, comprising two-thirds of the book. Annex 1 is a glossary of terms, complete to about 95 percent. It is well compiled, except that the English translations after each term are not always too accurate, perhaps because the compiler followed the dictionaries too closely. Let me explain by a practical example. The French combustible is defined as an adjective and should be the same word in English, "combustible". But it has been translated into English as "fuel", which is certainly correct, according to the dictionary, because the main use of combustible is as a noun meaning just this, but this is out of context. There are, perhaps, about half-a-dozen errors of this nature.

Annex 2 is a 12-page table giving an enormous quantity of information about each one of 17 popular organic solvents from the main families, with 59 columns for each. It covers all the main characteristics likely to influence a choice, except cost. This can be read in conjunction with Annex 3 which defines the characteristics and criteria, summarising the test methods used in the standards for the physical, chemical, environmental, health and safety and toxicological properties.

Annex 4 describes the test methods for determining the cleanliness of a surface. For the moment, none of the usual tests employed in the electronics industry (e.g. conductivity of a solvent extract or SIR) are mentioned or even chromatographic methods or electron microscopy. These will probably appear in the second edition.

Annex 5 is a complement of information on regulation, with extracts from the French regulations. Outside of France, this is important, as it allows readers to see whether there are any important differences between their local measures and those of France. This chapter gives much information on environmental and health and safety criteria, including MSDSs, labelling and a complete listing of the EU R and S numbering for risk warnings.

Annex 6 bears the title Elements technico-économiques, the obvious translation of which is "Technico-economic elements", but I don't think this really means anything in English! It is a brief and non-exhaustive summary of the main processes used for cleaning, giving a broad outline of the equipment required for each, its typical cost price, the kind of products used and their unit price range, their regulatory incidence and waste management.

Of course, compatibility is important. You may need to know whether an alloy used contains a metal which is sensitive to some cleaning products or that a plastic, known by its trade name, will be attacked by a solvent. Annex 7 gives outlines of the composition of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, polymers and elastomers by their trade names (did you know that PTFE is sold under 25 different names? I did not). This is completed by compatibility tables for each family on a scale of 0-3, unfortunately not always complete.

The next Annex briefly categorises lubricants, cutting and anti-fretting fluids, hydraulic fluids and temporary protection products, according to ISO standards (incidentally, it is in the French version of ISO 6743/8 that I find the worst bastardisation of the French language with the neologistic adjective solvanté).

The last two annexes give a few useful addresses in France plus one in Belgium and a short bibliography.

In the context of the pure electronics industry alone, it is uncertain whether I would recommend this book at this time without, at least, a few reservations, although there is a lot of useful information therein. On the other hand, for whomsoever are cleaning any mechanical parts, as well, it becomes a quasi-must, particularly for precision cleaning. I really am looking forward to seeing an English version covering defiuxing, as well. If I am permitted to review it here, again, I'm sure it will receive the warmest recommendation. As it is, I congratulate the numerous authors on compiling one of the best and easy-to-use reference works on the subject.

Brian Ellis b_ellis@protonique.com