1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the cleaning of precision components, and more particularly to a cleaning apparatus and method of use particularly suited for cleaning precision components without leaving harmful residue on the component surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
One problem which affects manufacturers of precision components such as medical instruments, electronic components, disk drive systems, etc. is particulate contamination of the device or component. In particular, the manufacturers, service providers or users of these devices need a cleaning apparatus and method for using that allows the operator to easily remove particles from the surface of these parts or devices. Typically, these components cannot be washed in aqueous or solvent cleaners, and the only way to remove the particles is by wiping the components with cloths or swabs, which is inefficient and relatively ineffective.
One approach found in the prior art to address these problems is the gumstick described in IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vol. 30, No. 7. The cleaning or gumstick described includes an acrylic rod with a rubber based transfer material. The problem with this approach, however, is that the transfer material itself may contaminate the device it is intended to clean. Although the existing particles on the component are lifted by the gumstick, a harmful residue may be left behind which may adversely affect the operation of the component. For example, in a disk drive system, the gumstick could leave a residue on the component that would volatilize by heating of the component during operation of the disk drive and subsequently condense on the surface of the disk where the temperature is cooler. This effect, referred to as outgassing, can lead to a head crash in operation of a disk drive system.
Other small object pick up devices found in the prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,943 issued to Dalbo et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,116 issued to DeWoskin which describe various devices for handling small components. However, these devices are not suited for use in cleaning precision components where the degree of cleanliness is of critical importance.
As can readily be seen there is a need for a cleaning apparatus that is particularly useful for cleaning precision components without leaving harmful residue on the surface of the component. It can further be seen that the apparatus should be simple to manufacture, has to be adequately packaged to avoid contamination before use, and should be able to conform in size and shape based on the component or device to be cleaned.
For the foregoing reasons, it becomes necessary to engineer a new apparatus for addressing the problems of cleaning precision components without further complications arising from harmful residue left behind by the cleaning apparatus.