FT. COLLINS, CO -- Dr. William (Bill) Kenyon, 74, the scientist many credit as the driving force behind SMT cleaning technology, passed away Nov. 22 following a brief illness.

Services are pending.

Dr. Kenyon spent most of his career at DuPont, where he helped developed cleaning technologies for printed circuit boards.

He was heavily involved in industry task forces and standards committees, having led or contributed to the original IPC handbooks for aqueous cleaning, semiaqueous cleaning, and solvent cleaning, soldering and several related test programs. He was named to lead the IPC Technical Activities Executive Committee from 1988-1990.

In 1989, Kenyon led an industry effort to conduct these studies and develop a benchmark testing program to evaluate alternatives to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) for assembly defluxing. The Montreal Protocol, ratified the following year, launched the phase out of CFCs in most developed nations, and Kenyon (at right, in photo below) received the Ozone Stratospheric Protection Award from the US EPA for his efforts. That same year, he also received the IPC Presidents Award.

(Photo: IPC)

In the 1990s, Kenyon left DuPont to launch the Global Centre for Process Change. In 1998, he was inducted into the IPC Hall of Fame, the 14th person to be bestowed with the honor.

During the past 10 years, Kenyon had relocated to Colorado, where he remained on the fringe of the industry, mostly retired, but appearing on occasion to share his opinions and experience.