Aqueoustech

What Aqueoustech does

Aqueous Technologies Corporation is a California-based manufacturer of cleaning and cleanliness testing equipment for the electronics assembly industry, founded by Mike Konrad in 1992 and headquartered in a 20,000 sq. ft. hand-build facility in Corona, California. The company sells four core product lines — Trident defluxing systems (in LDO low-discharge, ZDO zero-discharge, CLO closed-loop, and XL large-chamber configurations), Zero Ion ROSE ionic contamination testers, StencilWasher ultrasonic stencil and misprint cleaners, and EcoCycler rinse water recyclers — used for post-reflow flux removal, IPC J-STD-001J cleanliness verification, and stencil/screen maintenance in both commercial and high-reliability electronics manufacturing (automotive, aerospace, medical, defense).

Revenue is generated through four streams: capital equipment sales (quote-based), recurring parts and consumables (priced $195–$10,644 per item via the online Parts Store), factory-trained service and calibration visits ($3,200–$5,200 per visit plus travel), and extended warranty programs ($1,250–$3,500 per one-year extension). Distribution combines direct sales from the Corona headquarters with three regional channel partners — Etek Technology Centre (UK/Europe), Shanghai Jamron Electronic Engineering (上海杰龙电子工程有限公司, China), and Alpha Global (Korea/Vietnam) — supplemented by a global e-commerce parts storefront and an unusually heavy thought-leadership footprint (Reliability Matters podcast, Tech-Tuesday webinars, MasterClass training, white-paper library) anchored by founder Mike Konrad's role as a court-appointed industry expert witness and keynote speaker. The company is privately held, entirely founder-owned, bootstrapped since 1992, and operates with 11–50 employees.

Name

Aqueoustech

Legal name

Aqueous Technologies Corporation

Website

https://aqueoustech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aqueous Technologies designs and hand-builds cleaning and cleanliness testing equipment for electronics assembly manufacturers. Founded in 1992 in Corona, California, it sells the Trident, Zero Ion, StencilWasher, and EcoCycler product lines globally via direct sales and regional distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronics Assembly Cleaning & Cleanliness Verification Equipment

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)

akta.pro primary industry

Parts Washing & Degreasing Equipment (IMAHALAD)

Keywords

• Electronics assembly cleaning
• Defluxing systems
• Ionic contamination testing
• ROSE testers
• Stencil cleaning equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Corona

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cleaning Systems Hardware Sales: Sale of Trident defluxing systems (LDO, ZDO, CLO, XL models), StencilWasher ultrasonic stencil cleaners, Zero Ion ROSE testers, and EcoCycler rinse water recyclers. Equipment is hand-built in the USA at their Corona, CA facility.
2. Parts and Consumables: Spare parts, maintenance parts, DI media tanks, filters, calibration solutions, test solutions, door seal kits, spray arm bushing kits, and other consumables for their cleaning and testing systems. Items range from $195 to $10,644.
3. Service and Maintenance: Factory-trained service technicians providing maintenance visits ($4,500), calibration visits ($5,200), and factory inspections ($3,200). Extended warranties available for all product lines.
4. Extended Warranties: Extended warranty programs for Trident ($3,500), Zero Ion ($1,250), and StencilWasher ($2,250) systems, extending factory warranty for additional one-year periods.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Aqueous Technologies designs, hand-builds, and sells water-based defluxing and cleanliness verification systems for the electronics assembly industry. Its product portfolio includes the Trident family of defluxing systems (LDO, ZDO, CLO, and XL configurations), Zero Ion ROSE ionic contamination testers, StencilWasher ultrasonic stencil cleaners, and EcoCycler rinse water recyclers. The company complements hardware with parts and consumables, factory maintenance and calibration services, extended warranties, and an educational masterclass on cleaning and cleanliness qualification.

Product overview

Aqueous Technologies offers a portfolio of four core hardware product lines for the electronics assembly industry: Trident defluxing/cleaning systems (available in LDO, ZDO, CLO, and XL configurations), Zero Ion ROSE ionic contamination testers, StencilWasher ultrasonic stencil cleaners, and EcoCycler rinse water recyclers. These systems work together to provide comprehensive post-reflow cleaning and cleanliness verification solutions, from removing flux residues to measuring ionic contamination. The company also offers a parts store for consumables and spare parts, professional services including maintenance and calibration visits, and educational resources including the Reliability Matters Podcast and a MasterClass training program. All products are hand-built in the USA at the company's 20,000 sq. ft. facility in Corona, California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Reliability Matters Podcast: A commercial-free podcast on the subject of reliability of circuit assemblies, featuring interviews with experts in the electronic assembly industry. Topics include contamination, coating, cleanliness assessment, inspection, building for harsh environments, DFM, DFR, board fabrication, thermal management, printing, failure analysis, and more.

Products and services

• Trident Defluxing and Cleanliness Monitoring Systems Post-reflow defluxing and cleanliness monitoring systems for circuit assemblies. Features shadow-mitigating Focus Wash spray technology optimized for low-clearance components, dual radiant and convection drying, and configurable discharge modes (zero, low, or closed-loop). Available in LDO, ZDO, CLO, and XL configurations to match throughput, water-use, and environmental requirements. Sold to electronics assembly manufacturers.
• Zero Ion ROSE Tester

Quantifiable outcome

• Cleaning systems exceed industry cleanliness standards
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Etek Technology CentrecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK and Europe distribution partner serving Scotland and broader European markets. Located at Dow Road, Prestwick Aerospace Park, Monkton, Prestwick, Scotland KA9 2TU UK. Phone: +44 1292 834000, www.etek-europe.com, [email protected].
• Shanghai Jamron Electronic Engineering Co., Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChina distribution partner (上海杰龙电子工程有限公司). Located at Floor 1 (North Zone) No.3 Building, No.1358 PingAn Rd, Everpower Hi-tech Park, Shanghai 201109 P.R. China. Tel: +86-21-51097866 Ext. 803, [email protected], www.jamron.com.
• Alpha GlobalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKorea and Vietnam distribution partner. Located at A-1404, Gwangmyeong Technopark, 60 Haan-ro, Gwangmyeongsi, Gyeonggido, Korea (14322). Tel: +82-2-2625-2692, [email protected], www.alphaglobal.kr.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Teknek: Teknek is a UK-based manufacturer of contact cleaning rollers and contamination-control products for electronics manufacturing, including pre-print PCB cleaning. Comparable to Aqueous Technologies in the electronics cleanliness domain, but focused on contact/dry cleaning rather than aqueous defluxing and primarily serving European customers.

Direct peers

• ZESTRON: ZESTRON is a leading global supplier of cleaning agents, process control equipment, and cleanliness testing services for the electronics manufacturing industry. It is the most direct competitor to Aqueous Technologies' Trident and Zero Ion product lines, serving overlapping EMS and OEM customers with cleaning chemistry plus equipment bundled offerings.
• KYZEN: KYZEN manufactures precision cleaning chemistries and supporting equipment for electronics and metal-finishing applications. Comparable to Aqueous Technologies in targeting electronics assembly post-reflow cleaning, with a similar focus on technical support, IPC-compliance positioning, and global technical sales coverage.
• EMC Global (Electronic Materials Cleaning): EMC Global manufactures and supplies precision cleaning equipment and chemistries for PCB (printed circuit board) and electronics assembly cleaning. It is a direct niche peer in the same electronics-assembly cleaning market as Aqueous Technologies, often appearing alongside Trident systems in EMS line evaluations.
• Smart Sonic Corporation: Smart Sonic manufactures ultrasonic stencil and misprint cleaning systems for SMT (surface-mount technology) assembly — a direct head-to-head with Aqueous Technologies' StencilWasher line. They target the same customer profile (electronics assemblers needing stencil cleaning for solder paste removal).
• STI Electronics: STI Electronics offers electronics manufacturing services, training, and process support including cleaning-process consulting and micro-section analysis. Comparable to Aqueous Technologies in the cleanliness verification / training domain (Mike Konrad teaches competing courses), and an overlapping customer base in high-reliability electronics assembly.

Broad incumbents

• Dürr Ecoclean: Dürr Ecoclean supplies industrial parts cleaning and surface treatment systems for automotive, medical, and industrial manufacturing. Comparable to Aqueous Technologies' Trident cleaning platform in core parts-washing technology, but operates as a much larger incumbent with broader industry coverage and EU-based scale.
• Branson Ultrasonics (Emerson): Branson, an Emerson division, is a global manufacturer of ultrasonic cleaning equipment, plastic welding, and precision cleaning systems. Comparable to Aqueous Technologies' ultrasonic StencilWasher and general industrial parts-cleaning capability, but operates as a broad incumbent across many industries beyond electronics assembly.
• Kolb Cleaning Technology: Kolb designs and builds aqueous and solvent-based parts cleaning systems for industrial and electronics applications. A broader European industrial incumbent with overlapping aqueous cleaning technology to Aqueous Technologies' Trident water-based defluxing systems, but with a wider industry scope and larger installed base.

Others

• IPC International (Association Connecting Electronics Industries): IPC is the global trade association that writes the J-STD-001 cleanliness and reliability standards to which Aqueous Technologies' Zero Ion tester is compliant. While not a competitor, IPC shapes product requirements, hosts industry events (SMTA co-events where Konrad presents), and influences buyer specifications that Aqueous Technologies must meet to remain qualified.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aqueoustech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aqueous-cleaning-technologies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aqueoustech