Environmental Win-win Assembly and Cleaning Choices

摘要

A military advanced electronics supplier recently received the coveted Air Pollution Control Achievement Award for 2002 from their local Air Pollution Control Board. The supplier won the award for significant emission reduction resulting from the greatly reduced use of isopropyl alcohol. Credit for the improvement primarily was due to implementing a new cleaning process to reduce pollutant emissions to ambient air. By substituting self-contained vapor degreasers for the isopropyl alcohol parts cleaners, the contractor reduced Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) by 90 percent, while reducing costs and raising product quality. Isopropyl alcohol is needed to clean flux residues from electronics assemblies after soldering operations, but it emits VOCs. Additionally, this spent material in its liquid form is considered to be a hazardous waste. Two years ago, this process required approximately 22 to 24 drums of isopropyl alcohol annually at this facility.