This is another application which showcases the versatility of the Vertrel^® products. The same characteristics which make Vertrel^® a great cleaner -- heavy, nonflammable and highly soluble with many types of contamination -- also permit Vertrel^® to carry coatings and lubricants and deposit those coatings precisely where they are required.

For this to work, there is a special criterion for the coating. The coating or lubricant must either be (a) soluble in Vertrel^® or (b) have a specific gravity similar to Vertrel^®. The most common coatings are silicones lubricants -- which can be dissolved in concentrations up to 8% or so -- and PTFE powdered coatings which are easily carried by the solvents.

The Vertrel^® carries the coating and deposits them on the surface being lubricated during a dipping process. The primary benefit of using Vertrel^® in this application is the speed or throughput of this solvent-based process. Most users also feel the process delivers a superior coating which improves product quality. Lastly, the surfaces do not have to be flat for this coating process to work; irregular shapes and blind vias can be coated as easily as a disk drive platter.

In terms of equipment required, usually these deposition processes involves a vapor degreaser with the heat off but the refrigeration on.

Micro Care recommends two products for this application:

• Vertrel^® XF -- This is the most basic form of Vertrel^®. It is pure HFC-43-10 with no additives or stabilizers. In its typical package, it has less than 10 ppm non-volatile residues.
  
  
• Vertrel^® CF -- This product works very similarly to the Vertrel^® XF but is less expensive. It is a blend of HFC-43-10 and HFC-365. It is equally as pure as Vertrel^® XF and works very well, but is not normally used in vacuum systems.
  
  Special note: In this application, the Vertrel^® products are often described as carrying agents because the carry the lubricant on to the surface. For carrying agent applications, the Vertrel^® products are available in different grades of purity, with the ultra-pure formulations being best suited to these deposition processes. Contact Micro Care for details

Check out the handy Vertrel^® Application Guide for a graphical description of the different cleaners and their capabilities, and contact Micro Care's Vertrel^® Tech Support Hotline for additional guidance at 1-888-595-4525.

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