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20 SMT007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2026 T H E C L E A N T R U T H O ne of the most misunderstood terms in electronics manufacturing is "no-clean flux." It sounds simple enough: Use the flux, complete the soldering process, and, best of all, you don't have to clean. Unfortunately, that interpretation has led to decades of confusion and, in some cases, preventable reliability problems. The clean truth is that no-clean does not mean "do not clean." It means something much more specific. BY D R . A DA M K L E T T, KYZ E N The Clean Truth About No-Clean Flux Editor's note: This is a new column by Dr. Adam Klett, doctor of science at KYZEN. It will appear regularly in SMT007 Magazine. Understanding what the term actually means, where it came from, and when cleaning remains the right choice is essential for making informed manu- facturing decisions. The Origin of No-Clean To understand no-clean flux, it helps to look at the history of electronics assembly. Until the early 1990s, electronics manufacturers