by Jim Hisert , Sigurd R. Wathne PE
The best way to test a flux is to conduct the test in the production line under actual working conditions. This can be impractical if too many materials are included in the evaluation process. There are, however, ways to understand the capabilities of a wide range of flux materials without scrapping a large amount of production parts and time. This article will outline a test procedure that can be used to initially compare fluxes with minimal time, capital expense, and equipment. The key data is the quality of a flux to promote wetting of various alloys on a variety of surface finishes. [1] This will be calculated as a change in solder diameter after reflow. Although solder spread is the numerical outcome of the testing, cleanability of water-soluble fluxes and post reflow residue of no-clean fluxes may become apparent to the technician involved in this testing. It is a good way to get a feel for a material set in a very short time.
Solder Melting, Solder Basics, solder alloy, solder, pb-free, Flux Cleaning, flux, BGA, ball attach
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Posted on 1 Jan 2009
by Chris Nash
In this article, I will present a basic overview of soldering for those who are new to the world of soldering and for those who could use a refresher. I will discuss the definition of soldering, the basics of metallurgy, how to choose the proper alloy, the purpose of a flux, soldering temperatures, and typical heating sources for soldering operations.
soldering, metallurgy, flux, Solder Basics
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Posted on 10 Mar 2010
