Environmental concerns have led the electronics industry to migrate from using leaded solders to lead-free solders. Various directives and regulations have been notified which make it mandatory for some electronics assemblies to be free of lead – which leads the industry enthusiasts looking for good lead-free high-performance solders. Here is a blogpost on choosing high-performance lead-free solder pastes for electronics assembly.
Lead-free solder paste alternatives are still in their burgeoning stages of development, which means there are certain errors or defects associated with them if not used mindfully. The first thing you need to consider is printability of the solder paste. Printability of a lead-free solder paste determines the magnitude of the defects arising at the end of the process – which is why it is important to get a solder paste with good printability. Printability factors such as recovery, printing speeds and durability need to be as high as possible.
The ratio of paste-to-metal in lead-free solders is another important factor to choose a high-performance solder paste. This ratio affects the cold slump of solder at drastic levels, which, if ignored, can lead to bridging defects in the finished product.
The lead-free solder paste can function optimally and form a good bond only if it has good wetting properties. The solder paste should be able to achieve maximum contact between components to be soldered. Cleaning should be easy – there should be no residue left behind upon examination. It would also work to your benefit if you perform a solder-balling test on the lead-free solder paste, just to be sure. Solder balls can be an extremely difficult defect to deal with.
Keep the above points in mind to choose a lead-free solder paste that is meant to perform during demanding situations for your printed circuit board assembly.
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