Every electronics manufacturer, whether an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or contract manufacturer (CM), will be faced with determining if the unpopulated printed boards used in the finished assembly have an adequate level of cleanliness. The question of ‘‘how clean is clean enough'' has been asked repeatedly in the last decade in many IPC committees. This is a very complex topic, with many critical considerations, and so a single methodology to determine acceptability does not exist. This document was developed as guidance for the individual(s) responsible for determining these criteria for their company.

IPC-5701 covers many aspects of how cleanliness is measured on printed boards, as well as many critical factors to consider when specifying board cleanliness in purchasing documents. This reference, and associated technical papers, show the many inadequacies of current test methodologies, as well as explains why there are no ‘‘golden numbers'' for cleanliness. What is acceptably clean for one segment of the industry may be unacceptable for more demanding segments of the industry (e.g., medical or aerospace). The reader should be familiar with that document before reading this document. Appendix A of this document covers a history of the ROSE test, as well as many uses, abuses, and fallacies of that test.

This document will not provide individuals with a silver bullet, nor a golden number that guarantees reliability. The only thing that will give a consistently reliable product is process control, consistent materials, a thorough understanding of the process windows, and trained personnel.