FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

When cleaning misprints, the appropriate method depends on the board’s condition:

• Bare boards misprints should be cleaned like stencils.
• Single side mounted misprints should be cleaned like assembled PCBs to ensure complete removal of flux residues and contaminants.

For more details, please refer to our comprehensive notes on misprint cleaning.

A maintenance service includes routine care tasks that can typically be performed by the operator. A technical inspection is carried out by qualified specialists and involves a comprehensive system check as well as optimization of relevant components and process parameters.

For more details, please refer to our comprehensive information on maintenance services and technical inspections.

Responsibility within the cleaning process is clearly defined:

While the supplier provides the cleaning systems and detergents and issues recommendations, overall process responsibility – including parameter settings, optimization, maintenance, and approval of the items to be cleaned – remains with the operator.

For more details, please refer to our comprehensive information on process responsibilities and role allocation.

In kolb information such as material safety data sheets or manuals you might find the terms "BetrSichV" or "GefStoffV.

"Betriebssicherheitsvereinbarung" (abbr. BetrSichV, meaning: Ordinance on Industrial Safety) and "Gefahrstoffverordnung" (abbr. GefStoffV, meaning: Ordinance on Hazardous Substances) are rigid binding German regulations to protect staff.

The "Betriebssicherheitsvereinbarung" and the supplementary Technical Regulations for Operational Safety (TRBS) and the Technical Rule 510 as of January 1, 2003, have replaced the so called VbF (Regulation on flammable liquids).

The German "Betriebssicherheitsvereinbarung" regulates the provision of work by the employer, the use of work equipment by workers at work and the operation of systems requiring monitoring in the context of work safety. The contained protection concept is applicable to all work equipment risks.

The "Gefahrstoffverordnung" supplements the "Betriebssicherheitsvereinbarung" and applies for the marketing of substances, preparations and products, to protect workers and other persons against risks to their health and safety from hazardous substances and to protect the environment from substance-related damage.

The abbreviation VOC refers to the group of Volatile Organic Compounds.

VOC describes gaseous and vaporous substances of organic origin in the air. These include, for example, hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes and organic acids. Many solvents, liquid fuels and materials synthesis can occur as a VOC, but also numerous organic compounds that are formed in biological processes. Many hundreds of different individual compounds can occur together in the air.

The limitation of these emissions in Germany is determined in the "Regulation on the limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds in the use of organic solvents in certain plants" (31. Federal emission protection regulation, abbr. 31. BlmSchV). A labeling requirement does not apply, inter alia, for detergents containing organic solvents of less than 20 per cent, provided that the cleaning agents contain no volatile organic compounds according to § 3 section 2 or 3.

The flash point is the lowest temperature at which a liquid under specified test conditions gives off flammable gas or flammable vapor in such an amount that upon contact with an effective ignition source immediately a flame occurs. Because the resulting heat of combustion is not sufficient to heat the liquid until it reaches the focal point, the combustion at the flash point comes back to a standstill even when the ignition source is not removed. The inflowing from the fuel vapor amount is also not sufficient to allow a permanent combustion.

At the same gas pressure, a few degrees above the flash point, is the firing point. From this temperature, a permanent combustion is possible even after removal of the ignition source, because the substance surface then delivers flammable vapors in sufficient quantity. Flash and firing point have to be distinguished from the ignition point.

The ignition point (also ignition temperature, spontaneous ignition temperature) defines the temperature to which one has to heat a substance or a contact surface, so that a combustible substance (solids, liquids, their vapor or gas) in the presence of air exclusively on the basis of its own temperature self-ignites - without an ignition source such as a spark.

Under safety aspects the flash point is in comparison to the firing point of far greater importance or relevance, since it defines the lowest temperature where at the inflammation of an explosive gas / air mixtures is possible.

Yes, all kolb products are silicone-free.

For more detailed information on this topic and to download the corresponding confirmation, please refer to our detailed article.

Yes, all kolb chemical products are halogen-free. They contain none of the above mentioned compounds and are compliant to IEC specifications 61249-2-21 and IPC-4101B.

For more detailed information on this topic and to download the corresponding confirmation, please refer to our detailed article.

Yes, kolb Cleaning Technology GmbH can confirm that none of its products contain any of the substances listed in the European Commission's Restriction List.

For more detailed information on the PFAS compliance of our products and to download the corresponding declaration of conformity, please refer to our detailed article on this topic.

Yes, kolb chemical products comply with all applicable regulations or orders under TSCA.

For more detailed information on the TSCA compliance of our products and to download the corresponding declaration of conformity, please refer to our detailed article on this topic.

Yes, all kolb cleaning detergents, additives and chemical accessories are of course REACH compliant.

For more detailed information on the REACH compliance of our products and to download the corresponding declaration of conformity, please refer to our detailed article on this topic.

Low conductive detergents provide more stable, more efficient and more water-conserving cleaning processes.

Modern detergents and additives which are guaranteed to be low conductive provide not only a thorough cleaning result at low temperatures but also qulitatively better and more efficient cleaning processes as far as machine wear and operating costs are concerned. Such cleaners contain very little conductive material. This prevents cleaner-related conductivity (ionic contamination) from being transferred into rinsing processes.

These detergents, unlike traditional cleaners with high conductivity, can be rinsed very efficiently with city water at room temperature before the final rinse with DI water, saving valuable water resources and energy for tempering the rinse media.

For these reasons, one should always pay attention to the conductance when buying a cleaner. Detergents with high conductance values are generally not very efficient economically because they consume significantly more water and energy and tire more quickly.

Yes, all kolb detergents can be effectively used in common cleaning systems from other manufacturers.

All developed and marketed detergents from kolb in general are specially developed for cleaning tasks of the electronics industry and can therefore also be used in any common electronics cleaning system which is suitable for the use of aqueous media. Attention has to be paid to details in the relevant technical information and safety data sheets of the various detergents.

Generalizing we can say that detergents labeled with PS (PowerSpray^®) are excellent cleaners for any standard spray-in-air cleaning system. Detergents labeled with AF (AirFlow^®) are perfectly suited for any standard spray- or air-in-immersion system and US indicated cleaners can be easily used in any conventional ultrasonic system.

On labels or other information these icons indicate the respective technology compatibility of the kolb detergents.

As kolb owns already decades of experience with the use of our detergents in other manufacturers' systems, a quick call or a quick email request, which kolb detergents works best for what task in which system respectively in what systems from other manufacturers which kolb detergents is already successfully used.

kolb cleaning detergents and cleaning additives have an unlimited service life when properly stored and transported.*

Proper storage and transport means stored and transported in an unopened original container between 10 °C and 35 °C with a protection from UV light. If the original container has been opened and is stored or transported between 10 °C and 35 °C with a protection from UV-light the shelf life of undiluted cleaning detergent is minimum 2 years.

It is recommended to use cleaning detergents within 5 years after delivery.

*Separate shelf life guidelines apply to disinfectant products.

Labels on printed, assembled and soldered circuit boards which subsequently have to be cleaned tend to fade or disintegrate under the action of water and detergent.

kolb has tested all its main PCB cleaners with the mostly used labels from suppliers such as Brady, CILS or Identco for their suitability and durability. Corresponding application reports can be deliverd on request to info@kolb-ct.com.

Yes, kolb cleaning systems so far are all WEEE compliant, as as so-called „large-scale fixed equipment“ they fall under the exceptions described in article 2 of the directive.

For more detailed information on the WEEE compliance of our products and to download the corresponding declaration of conformity, please refer to our detailed article on this topic.

Yes, kolb products are all RoHS compliant and contain no substances or derivatives listed in the directive.

For more detailed information on the RoHS compliance of our products and to download the corresponding declaration of conformity, please refer to our detailed article on this topic.

kolb is committed to support standard cleaning systems for a period of 10 years.

Minimum for this period after sale kolb is committed to have all necessary spare parts on offer, as well as delivering maintenance service on demand.

Ended regular support for the following systems:

RB series: 03 / 03D / 04 / 04D / 04DE / 04DSE / 04DSEL / 05 / 06 / 10 / M07
PS series : 02 / 03 / 05 / 05RS / 06 / 06RS / 07ST / 08 / 10MC / 18 / 31 / 41 / 71 / 09 HY / 91
PSB series: 400 / 500 / 600 (only 1st Generation)
AF series: 09 / 15

Replacement parts for these cleaning systems are no more available from stock. Of course, we also seek further support. However, considerable delivery times and/or necessary conversion work must be expected. Prices for spare parts can only be determined on request, as these are then mostly individual orders or custom-made products.

kolb systems can operate with temperatures up to 80 °C.

But the optimal cleaning temperature depends on the detergent used, the material, and the contamination level of the parts. kolb provides recommended temperature ranges for each cleaning process to ensure maximum cleaning efficiency while maintaining material compatibility.

For more details, please refer to our comprehensive notes on cleaning temperatures.

If a cleaning process is interrupted, kolb systems do not resume at the point of interruption. During the downtime, the condition, temperature and wetting of the parts change, which can compromise reproducibility and quality. The system also cannot reliably detect whether the load has changed during the interruption. For these reasons, the process is always restarted from the beginning after an interruption. Only in the case of warnings (e.g., filter change) may the process continue.

For more details, please refer to our comprehensive notes on restarting after interruptions.

Yes, in all kolb cleaning systems qualified detergents from other manufacturers can be used!

It is only important that these detergents have been qualified by kolb before. kolb has already qualified with full warranty several aqueous detergents from other manufacturers such as Zestron, Kyzen or Electrolube for the use in the kolb cleaning systems. A corresponding detailed list or single products can be requested here.

Also kolb is willing to qualify any further third-party product for its systems, with full warranty then, as long as it corresponds to the technological system configuration and material suitability of the system and is a market standard quality product.