The Solution
Kontek began the process by reviewing all of the plant’s sources of acid, chemical concentrations and water flow rates. It became clear that Kontek needed to use exotic materials of construction and instrumentation that would be able to withstand the client’s extreme corrosive conditions and potential exothermic heat.
- 1100 Series Industrial Conventional Treatment
- IntelliKon Integrated & Automated Control System Protection
Using special materials, including HF-resistant sensors, Kontek crafted a custom-made 1100 Series Industrial Conventional Treatment system for the client. For extra safety, Kontek equipped the system with IntelliKon fail-safe protection, touch screen HMIs, and multi-level alarms.
An Electronics manufacturing facility operates at the intersection of precision engineering and advanced chemistry, producing components such as semiconductors, printed circuit boards, and microelectronic assemblies. In these environments, water is not just a utility—it is a critical process input used for rinsing, cleaning, etching, and surface preparation. The quality of that water directly impacts product performance, yield, and long-term reliability.
The Challenge
One often overlooked factor is fluoridated municipal water. While fluoride is intentionally added to drinking water for public health benefits, it presents a unique challenge in high-purity manufacturing environments. Even at low concentrations, dissolved fluoride ions can interfere with sensitive chemical processes, alter surface interactions, and contribute to contamination at the micro or nanoscale. For manufacturers striving to meet stringent quality standards, these trace impurities are unacceptable.
To address this, facilities rely on advanced purification systems to produce ultra-pure water (UPW), removing virtually all dissolved ions—including fluoride—before it enters production. However, this adds complexity, cost, and operational oversight to water management systems. Any fluctuation in incoming water chemistry, including seasonal or municipal treatment changes, can disrupt system performance and require continuous monitoring and adjustment.
At the same time, fluoride compounds such as hydrofluoric acid play an essential role in key manufacturing steps like oxide etching and precision cleaning. This dual role—where fluoride is both a contaminant and a necessary process chemical—creates additional challenges in handling, storage, and wastewater treatment.
Ultimately, electronics manufacturers must carefully balance water purification, process chemistry, and environmental compliance to maintain efficiency and product integrity in an increasingly demanding industry.
The Results
The client continues to yield exceptional recovery rates, even after eight years of constant operation. They’ve also benefited from remarkably low repair, maintenance and operating costs.
The client has since installed two similar systems at their other manufacturing centers. Taking great pride in their Kontek systems, the client continues to allow Kontek customers to tour their facilities and see their process in action.
As the client’s business and operation protocols evolve over time, Kontek monitors how their process is changing and adapts the existing system accordingly. This ongoing partnership allows the Kontek system to keep pace with its owner’s growing business.
Based on Kontek’s ability to treat and recover complicated multi-acid wastewater, Kontek is renowned by many microchip, photovoltaic, semiconductor and silicon wafer manufacturers across the world.