Good Lead-free Solder Wire

Like al the other factors involved in the lead free wave soldering it is very important to have a good lead free solder wire which can withstand the process of lead free wave soldering and also can deliver a great lead free product as the out put. Various critical Engineering studies are being done before choosing any solder wire for the lead free wave solders. Each and every aspect of the metallurgy involved in the selection is very important for the production and completion of a successful wave solder process.

The first thing which has to be watch is the flux content present in the wire, because the wetting behavior of the wire will be determined by this only. Upon performing various engineering and metallurgical test of different metals for the selection of the ideal lead free wave soldering wire engineers have found that the lead free wire should contain a minimum of 2% flux by there weight. Though for the leaded process of the wave soldering the percentage of the flux could be taken up to a low of 1%. The lower percent of the flux present in the solder wire could result in various difficulties at the time of the lead free wave soldering process.

For the process like thermal profiling and reflow profiling the lead free wave soldering wire is pretty good to have and it certainly helps in raising the quality of the boards manufactured. Solders having lower percent of the flux can be used for other solder process but you can not go for a lead free wave soldering operation with the help of the solders having a lower percent of the flux in them. To have a efficient and good quality wave solder operation you have to use the solders which have a proper percentage of the flux present in them the percent of the flux should not be either to high or too low. In both the cases the quality of the product will be affected, either due to the lack of the flux or due to the excess amount of the flux.

Another significant point is to assure that the flux is intended for lead-free applications and consequently it should be capable of withstanding higher soldering tip temperatures with no charring, spattering and decay.
Also some fluxes may smoke extra while using hotter tip temperatures. When choosing a wave solder wire, make sure to scrutinize the flux IPC cataloging.

Any manufacturer can take a benefit of having a good lead free wave soldering operation with the help of the good solder wire having a good sufficient amount of the flux present in it. The usage of good solder wire with an appropriate amount of the flux in it could also help the manufacturer in the optimization of the wave soldering process.