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Altus Group, a leading supplier of capital equipment for electronics manufacturing in the UK and Ireland, has supported Datalink Electronics Ltd, a UK-based provider of full electronic product design, prototyping, manufacturing and logistics, in bringing PCB cleaning in-house at its facility.
For many years, Datalink Electronics outsourced its cleaning requirements to regional service providers. This approach worked well when volumes were lower, allowing the company to support customer requirements without the need for significant capital investment.
Recently, Datalink has seen an increase in projects that require a cleaning process as part of the build. In parallel, the company identified a lack of control on timelines for when products could be cleaned, alongside limited visibility over the outsourced process. As a result of these factors, Datalink made the decision to bring the process in-house, adding another capability to its manufacturing offering.
Building on an existing relationship following a successful selective soldering project, Datalink worked with Altus Group to evaluate a range of cleaning technologies. This included visiting reference installations in the UK and undertaking sample validation trials to assess performance.
Following a full review of cost, capability, technical validation and support, Datalink selected a solution from Kolb Cleaning Technology. Kolb is widely recognised for its combined approach to cleaning equipment and chemistry, manufacturing its systems in Germany and providing a single-source solution for both process performance and ongoing support.
The selected Kolb PSE LH5 system is a fully automatic, multi-stage cleaning platform designed to remove flux residues, resins, oxides and other process contaminants from PCB assemblies. With controlled cleaning, rinsing and drying stages, the system supports consistent results across a wide range of applications while delivering efficient throughput.
Joe Booth, CEO at Altus Group, said: “This was another very satisfying project with Datalink, who were a pleasure to work with. In this case, we were proposing a premium solution, and it was important for us to clearly demonstrate the value of investing in more capable technology. I am pleased we were able to show that value against lower-cost alternatives and further strengthen our relationship with what is a very progressive EMS provider.”
Peter Kimber, Operations Manager at Datalink Electronics, said: “We are really happy to have brought the cleaning process in-house, and equally happy with the end result. The cleaning process is a new capability for us and so we felt it was important to invest with a trusted partner and a top-tier supplier. This solution reflects the high-quality processes we want to offer our customers. Having completed the sample trials with Kolb, the implementation was very straightforward because we knew the ideal parameters and what the results would be upfront. We are now looking forward to the next project.”
The system has now been in operation for over a month, supporting active production and adding a valuable new capability within Datalink’s manufacturing processes.
