Here’s an interesting request that we see quite a bit: “I want to buy indium solder paste”. That may seem pretty straight forward, but to us it can mean several different things.
- The inquiry could be in reference to Indium Corporation solder paste – which comes in many varieties. This happens more often than you’d think. Many of the solder pastes we offer contain no indium at all! This is a good example of the difference between the terms “Indium Corporation” and “indium”. Some of us that deal with this distinction often refer to “Big I” and “Little I”.
- The inquiry could be in reference to solder paste containing some amount of indium. Solder pastes with 99% down to 1% indium need to be specified – so more alloy detail is needed.
- The inquiry could be in reference to pure indium (the element) solder paste. Even if we are to assume 99.99% indium is required for this solder paste application, there are many questions we would need to ask to sort out the exact specification for the paste. Will the paste be stencil printed, dispensed, or deposited in some other way? Do you desire a no-clean or water washable flux? Do you require the paste packaged in a jar, or a syringe, or a cartridge?
This might sound a bit confusing, but our Applications Engineers can simplify things for you – and provide the best solution for your project. Contact them today at AskUs@indium.com.