Soldering Flux Residue contamination on surface before laser cleaning
Alessandro Moretti
Alessandro MorettiPh.D.Italy
Laser-Based Additive Manufacturing
Published
Dec 16, 2025

Soldering Flux Residue Contamination

Solder-flux contamination forms during electronics soldering operations, as rosin-based and no-clean fluxes deposit resinous residues on substrates. This layer, it adheres tenaciously to copper and brass, which distinguishes it from water-soluble types by its non-volatile, sticky persistence that manifests under exposure. On PCB surfaces, the contamination exhibits strong bonding dependent from humidity, posing removal challenges like chemical resistance, yet laser cleaning effectively ablates it precisely, without damaging the underlying materials.

Safety Information

Critical safety data for laser removal operations

Fire/Explosion Risk
low
Toxic Gas Risk
moderate
Visibility Hazard
moderate

Required Personal Protective Equipment

Respiratory Protection
half_mask
Eye Protection
goggles
Skin Protection
gloves

Hazardous Fumes Generated

CompoundConcentrationExposure LimitHazard ClassStatus
Formaldehyde0.5-5.0 mg/m³0.37 mg/m³carcinogenic✓ Within Limit
Phenol0.2-2.0 mg/m³19 mg/m³toxic✓ Within Limit
Acetic Acid1.0-8.0 mg/m³25 mg/m³irritant✓ Within Limit
Rosin-based resin acids2.0-15.0 mg/m³5 mg/m³irritant✓ Within Limit

Ventilation Requirements

Air Changes Per Hour
12
Exhaust Velocity
0.5 m/s
Filtration Type
carbon

Particulate Generation

Respirable Fraction
70%
Size Range
0.1 - 10 μm

Substrate Compatibility Warnings

  • Laser parameters must be optimized to avoid substrate damage to underlying metals
  • Thermal decomposition increases with higher laser power and slower scanning speeds
  • May generate heavy smoke on non-metallic substrates