Soldertips

Learn about the issues of incomplete solder reflow in production, including flux exhaustion and heat sinking characteristics.

Question: To calibrate or not to calibrate, that is the question. We just purchased new soldering stations and were told that they do not require calibration. While we think that all tooling requires some calibration over time, what am I required to do?

Question: Is it necessary to replicate the thermal profiling process during long term mass production of products?

Question: We have some solder paste that has been in a sealed box at 4 degree Celsius for more than 8 months. The shelf life is 6 months. Can it be used without an issues?

Question: We have a problem with chip components shifting during the reflow process, which is being detected during automatic optical inspection. The shifting is not limited to a single component, but rather changes daily, where the component shifting occurs and moves from one location to another very randomly.

Question: Are you aware of any time studies or standards that have been developed to determine the amount of time it should take to create a solder joint while hand soldering, either a through-hole, or surface mount component?

Question: We are having a problem with ceramic SMT components (CAPS) showing stress patterns and cracking after thermal testing. Have you ever seen this and if so, what is allowed or acceptable according to IPC standards, even with the lack of verified electrical failure of these components?

Question: We are having a problem with soldering tips oxidizing and becoming unusable after a few hours use. We are using a lead-free organic rosin core solder and apply additional liquid rosin flux when soldering fine pitch components. We are running the soldering irons between 750 and 800 F.

Question: Is there an IPC or other specification that exists explaining the minimum shear force requirements for surface mounted components?

Question: We have both steady output temperature and temperature variable soldering irons. There has always been a long-standing question as to whether we needed to calibrate these irons to meet certain ISO requirements. Is there any documentation that indicates how we should handle this? Answer: This is an interesting question with several variables to consider. […]

Question:  What are the specifics on wire and terminal connection cleanliness requirements and how do they compare to PCB cleanliness? Answer:  Cleaning wire and terminal connections is somewhat different than cleaning PCBs along with cleanliness and measurement testing techniques. Boards and assemblies are cleaned of flux residues for a variety of reasons, dendritic growth on […]

Question:  I have heard so many conflicting answers as to how many seconds it takes to make a solder joint. Can you tell me why it may take 1, 2, or 3 seconds to make a solder joint? Answer:  A solder joint is a metallurgical process; to make a sound solder joint there has to […]