Why are the Si pins easy to clean compared to metal pins?
Silicon pins are much easier to clean, and wash cycles can be much shorter (1-2 sec) than those used for traditional metal pin tools. One reason for this is that their internal reservoirs are more wash-accessible due to their shape and size. Also, the surfaces of silicon pins are chemically glass (silicon dioxide) and thus are stable to oxidation at temperatures of 1000 Celsius. Because of this property, the pins can be deep cleaned with a butane torch, thus oxidizing the organic contaminants and leaving the pin surfaces free of deposits. These cleaning properties ensure that silicon pins have minimal carryover compared to other types of pins.
