Digital unveils ozone-safe process to clean computer circuit boards

AUGUSTA — Digital Equipment Corp. announced Thursday it has developed a new process to clean computer circuit boards that does not use chemicals that damage the Earth’s ozone layer.

Company officials making the announcement at the Augusta manufacturing plant, where the process was developed, said Digital is making the technology available to other companies as a gesture of the firm’s commitment to protecting the environment.

An announcement was also made in Washington on Thursday by the Maynard, Mass.-based Digital, which is the nation’s second-largest computer company.

Even before Thursday’s announcement, some companies had expressed interest in the new process, Augusta plant manager Bob Jackson told reporters and business representatives.

In the past, Digital has useds solvents containing chlorofluorocarbons to remove dirt and residues from the manufacturing process from printed circuit boards. The debris was removed through chemical reactions with the solvent. However, CFCs were released into the environment when the solvent evaporated.

Digital has developed a process in which minute droplets of water are sprayed on the circuit boards from rotating arms. A key to the technology is the nozzle reducing the size of the droplets, which are able to clean under components.

The circuit boards are washed with a light detergent, then rinsed twice and blown dry.

The process is “exceptionally simple … very, very simple,” said Dana Duncan, an engineering supervisor and one of those who developed the technology.