Key takeaway
Sonic has supplied PCB drying systems since the 1990s, helping manufacturers transition away from CFC-based cleaning to aqueous washers without leaving moisture behind.
High Tech
Precision drying and cleaning for PCBs, wafers, optics, and other high tech products, without water spots or residue
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Air Knife and Blower Solutions for High Tech Manufacturing
High tech manufacturing cannot tolerate moisture related defects. A printed circuit board that carries even trace moisture into the inspection or test stage can cause a false positive or an actual failure in the field. A silicon wafer or optical component with a water spot may have to be scrapped. As the industry moved away from CFC-based cleaning toward aqueous washers, that shift solved one environmental problem while creating new manufacturing challenges: Something still has to dry the product completely, fast enough to keep the line moving, without introducing new contamination.
Sonic Air Systems has supplied the blowers and air knife systems behind that drying step since the 1990s, and our patented rotary air knife technology remains a standard in PCB manufacturing today. The same platform extends to wafers, optical products, fiber optic cable, hard drives, and other precision components where water-based cleaning has replaced older CFC chemical cleaning methods.
- of air produced does useful work at contact
- 95%
- air knife exit velocity range
- 20,000-38,000 FPM
- energy reduction vs compressed air
- Up to 75%
Process requirements
Key Takeaways
Key takeaway
Sonic's patented rotary air knife is self-propelled and cuts drying energy by 25 to 50% compared to stationary air knives.
Key takeaway
Sonic XE Air Knives run at a 0.95 coefficient of discharge (95% air efficiency) and exit velocities from 20,000 to 38,000 feet per minute, with rotary configurations cutting blower power by a further 50%.
Key takeaway
Manufacturers switching from compressed air to Sonic's high-velocity air knife systems have seen energy use reductions of up to 75%.
Sonic Air Systems Provides Air Knife Drying Systems For:
- Electronics & Circuit Manufacturing
- PC Boards
- Hard Drives
- Fiber Optic Cable
- Precision & Optical Components
- Silicon Wafers
- Optical Products
- Compact Discs
- Solar Cell Manufacturing
- P.V. Solar Cells
PCB and Circuit Board Drying
When the PCB industry moved away from CFC-based cleaning chemicals, the new aqueous circuit board washers created a new requirement: a reliable way to dry boards completely, since any moisture left behind can cause defects or field failures later. Sonic's powerful blowers and rotary air knife technology deliver uniform, controlled drying that removes moisture without slowing the line. The patented rotary design is self-propelled and reduces drying energy by 25 to 50% compared to stationary air knives, which is part of why Sonic has remained a standard for PCB drying since the 1990s, along with flex circuit, silicon wafer, flat panel, and P.V. solar cell manufacturers.
Precision Air Knife Technology
High tech drying and cleaning applications share one requirement across every product type: a highly concentrated, precisely controlled air stream, not a general blast of air that might dislodge or damage a delicate component. Sonic XE Air Knives use a teardrop-shaped plenum design to deliver laminar airflow at exit velocities from 20,000 to 38,000 feet per minute, at a 0.95 coefficient of discharge, meaning 95% of the air produced is doing useful work at the point of contact. For applications needing even more efficiency, Sonic's rotary air knife and rotary air nozzle configurations cut centrifugal blower power by a further 50%. Across high tech manufacturing, switching from compressed air to this kind of high-velocity air knife system has delivered energy use reductions of up to 75% for manufacturers who made the change.
Heater-Less Hot Air Blower Technology
Sonic's patented hot air blowers can produce up to 275°F air knife temperature for hard to reach (hidden) areas of today's complex board designs. With Sonic XE air knives and hot air blowers, the total drying power demand is 25-50% less than standard blowers with electric heaters.
Verified Applications
Setting the Standard for PCB Drying: Rotary Air Knife Technology
As the PCB industry shifted away from CFC-based cleaning chemicals toward aqueous circuit board washers, manufacturers needed a drying method reliable enough to guarantee no residual moisture, since any left behind could compromise board quality. Sonic's powerful air blowers and patented rotary air knife technology, self-propelled and requiring no external drive, provided uniform, controlled drying that cut drying energy by 25 to 50% versus stationary air knives. Sonic has been the PCB drying standard since the 1990s and remains the preferred partner for manufacturers across PCB, flex circuit, silicon wafer, flat panel, and P.V. solar cell production. Full details are in Sonic's published case study, Eco-Friendly Drying Solutions for PCBs with Sonic’s Rotary Air Knife Technology.
Up to 75% Lower Energy Use Versus Compressed Air: Sonic XE Air Knife Technology
Before Sonic introduced the XE Air Knife, round and square tubular air knives were the industry standard, but they left efficiency on the table. Since 1995, Sonic's teardrop-shaped XE Air Knife design has delivered laminar, uninterrupted airflow at exit velocities from 20,000 to 38,000 feet per minute, with a 0.95 coefficient of discharge, and rotary configurations that cut blower power by a further 50%. Manufacturers who switched from compressed air to Sonic's high-velocity air knife systems have achieved energy use reductions of up to 75%, with over 100 design variations and materials available to fit the specific product and process. Full details are in Sonic's published case study, High-Velocity Air Knife Solution for Efficient Air Distribution.
Have a High Tech Drying or Cleaning Challenge?
Tell us the product, the tolerance for residue or contamination, and the line speed you need to hit, and we will help size the right system.