With the phasing out of CFC’s and HCFC’s, the electronic industry evolved standard solder pastes and fluxes from RA and RMA fluxes. These included several types of No-Clean, Aqueous, and Semi-Aqueous cleaning solutions. However, the advent of lead-free soldering and the progressive miniaturization of electronic devices further complicated the scenario for the suppliers of these cleaners.

Three factors mainly affect the cleaning performance of cleaning solutions: 

HANSEN PARAMETERS - a characterization of the contaminant to be dissolved, signifying the solvency power of the cleaning solution. 

SURFACE TENSION - important as the cleaning product has to dissolve contaminants under or around closely packed components. 

PHYSICAL PARAMETERS -such as temperature, mechanical activities necessary, and the duration of the process.