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Selective Soldering Technologies: Why Use them? Explore!

Author: Soldering Robot
by Soldering Robot
Posted: Oct 18, 2018

Thanks to the growing popularity of SMT technology, the new through-hole technology is taking up much less real estate on a PCB assembly. However, the through-hole pins are still a necessary for many boards, and for that they still need to be soldered. Since this process can cause some serious distress for the production managers, a number of manufacturers have opted for selective soldering technology as a precise and cost effective way to solder through-hole technology. However, if you are still oblivious about this path breaking innovation then this post on behalf of 1clicksmt-solderingrobot is here to help you. Read on as I list why this method was adapted and also the advantages and challenges you might face with this technology. So, let’s get started.

Why are People Considering Selective Soldering Method?

It’s a fact that before the advent of reflow soldering, boards that used to have a high number of through-hole pins usually underwent wave soldering. This is a process where a board passes through a solder wave. However, in case of through-hole technology, this posed few problems as the pins could withstand more thermal shock and were much less expensive. But on the other hand the SMT packages are more sensitive and expensive and must be soldered in a reflow oven. Since through-hole pins cannot be soldered in a reflow oven but needs to be soldered separately, manufactures opted for doing it by hand or through a selective soldering machine.

Advantages Of Selective Soldering Technologies:

  • One of the biggest quality of selective soldering is that in spite of the face that market is now demanding for smaller wired components, it’s still the most efficient and cost-effective method. This method approaches each solder joint individually and thereby match the individual soldering parameters. So with this method you can avoid a thermal exposure throughout the assembly which is very much helpful for your already existing soldered components. Broadly, this method is achieved through two different ways; one is the mini wave or the multi wave. Maximum flexibility for all possibilities can be achieved through the mini wave soldering. Depending on the customer’s requirements, the single solder pot can be positioned on the same or different axes, which ensures optimum processing. Combining soldering with multi wave can process complex assemblies in a short amount of time.
  • Another fact is that one can use individual product-specific mini dip soldering nozzles which helps to solder several pins or components simultaneously to achieve short cycle times. Selective soldering methods are economically successful in the processes are adapted exactly to the applications and quantities. In order to achieve high-volume production in selective soldering, simultaneous processes are required. To achieve this, one can use multi-wave soldering module which will ensure maximum throughput for every need. Also, you can opt for product specific soldering tools that come with individual soldering nozzles. This system allows the manufacture to precisely solder the soldering points of the wired components, simultaneously without experiencing any hassle.

Challenges You Might Face With Selective Soldering:

In spite of being one of the most convenient methods, like any other soldering processes, selective soldering also has its own set of challenges. Let’s look at them below.

  • Since Selective soldering method applies heat to only one place on the board, the present in the solder paste might not activate properly, which might lead to the residue to spread to other parts of the board, creating a complete mess. Another bad challenge is that the Ionic contaminants present within the flux residue cannot be traced easily. Also, such contamination can eventually lead to dendritic growth in the board’s lifecycle. To avoid such scenario, one can preheat the board before applying the selective soldering method. This will help the flux to get activated in a better way.
  • There is another way which can help you prevent the contamination. And that can be achieved by implying or updating existing contamination testers. Another proven method for catching flux migration can be ionic testing which is also used to measure the potentially harmful board conductivity. Although these testers are usually used to calculate ionic contaminants across the entire surface on the board, however, according to experts, one should program the tester to measure only the flux path so that you can achieve much more accurate results.

In A Nutshell:

So what else would you like to know selective soldering technologies? Leave your queries in the comments section and I will be addressing them in the upcoming posts. And in the mean time if you want to know more about such methods then just visit 1clicksmt-solderingrobot.com and explore more about the technology and our deliverables. Also, if you found this post helpful then feel free to share it with your social peers and keep following this space for more related updates.

About the Author

We are based in China, we know the component and systems manufacturers very well. We provide advice and guidance in order to help our customers through the procurement of a system in order to provide the proper solution.

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Author: Soldering Robot

Soldering Robot

Member since: Oct 15, 2018
Published articles: 2

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