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Black Chrome Solder Tips
Continued from page 1
of iron, a plate of nickel behind the working sur- face and a plated chrome layer. Black chrome at- taches best to nickel, which adheres best to copper; however, the key working layer and the one that affects tip life the most is the layer of iron. The working surface of the tip must wet in order to transfer molten solder to the joint and aid in heat transfer. And while copper is actually better for soldering, it is also highly susceptible to being dis-
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which consisted of recreating a production-like high-volume environment — we observed a slight advantage in quality when using the black chrome tip. The standard tip showed more signs of oxida- tion and was prone to burnt flux residue buildup on the tip and shaft. Over time, it resulted in a mi- nor decline of soldering operations even when tip maintenance was properly addressed. By contrast, the black chrome tip demonstrat-
ed proficiency in maintaining higher quality sol- dering throughout the entire test, achieving a su- perior Class 3 type soldering connection. The com- plete assembly and inspection processes involved in this study were performed in accordance with IPC J-STD001-E. In addition, we observed the black chrome tip
Standard solder tip (left) and black chrome solder tip.
solved rapidly by solder alloys. Therefore, iron is most widely used. In order to make this study, PROMATION
developed some black chrome tips and used these tips in a side-by-side test comparison with the com- pany’s standard tip technology. The soldering test was performed using SAC305 solder (no-clean) with a 3.2 percent flux core, sample PCBs with a 1.7mm pad with multi-pin connectors with 0.8mm pins and a PROMATION hot iron soldering robot. The tips selected were a 2.4mm half V config-
uration, one with standard plating and one with black chrome plating. For the purpose of this study, the soldering temperature was set to 375°C. Each of the test boards consisted of 420
through-hole soldering joints (pin connectors). Tip cleaning was done after 105 joints were soldered, simulating a high-volume production environment using an air/wet sponge combo cleaner.
Some Differences At first glance, both tips seemed to perform
equally well, but through extensive testing — Test PCB after soldering.
every solder joint. In addition, the activated flux did not accumulate as much on the black chrome tip, since the solder was only allowed to localize at the end of the tip. As a result, smaller amounts of
demonstrated an improved ability to localize the dis- pensed solder, forming target solder fillets through- out the soldering process. Using an automatic solder feeder, we were able to ensure and consistently de- liver a set amount of solder to each joint. The plating construction on the black chrome tip’s shaft was seen to have provided an added benefit: the reduction of wetable area on the tip surface naturally directs the solder more towards the joint area, thus reducing the overall migration of solder up the tip.
Black Chrome in Action Because most of the black chrome tip’s shaft
was plated, the solder traveled only to the source side of the board upon contact, increasing the accu- racy of the amount of solder being dispensed into
March, 2014
activated flux were left behind. Localization of solder on the surface of the tip
for robotic soldering is key to achieving repeatabil- ity and quality work. Totaling all variables and de- fects (for both the standard tip and black chrome tips), the black chrome tip resulted in a lower defect rate (2.67 percent improvement) in accordance with IPC J-STD001-E. Based upon the accumulated test results, summarized by Master IPC Certified In- structor Francisco Fourcade of FOURCADE, Inc., both tips soldered well; the black chrome tip showed a slight advantage in reduction of overall defects throughout multiple test runs. Contact: PROMATION, Inc., 9522 58th Place,
Kenosha, WI 53144 % 262- 764-4832 fax: 262-764- 4837 Web:
www.pro-mation-inc.com r
Seeking A New CM Continued from page 19
ance of a product is important, IMET can even call upon the assistance of an award-winning in- dustrial design affiliate. In some cases, when product development may be handled by an OEM, production services may be contracted to IMET for printed circuit board assembly, proto- typing, or specialized engineering skills that may not be available in-house at the OEM. IMET Corp. was founded in 2000, in a rent-
ed garage. The company has undergone three major expansions and has enjoyed 400-percent growth during the height of the recent recession. Now operating in a company-owned 15,000- square-foot facility in Southampton, PA, IMET has 28 employees and boasts the latest automat- ed assembly machinery to achieve placement speeds to 10,500 components per hour. The re- sulting quality and economies account for so many clients returning from offshore manufac- turing. IMET was recently was named 2014 Manufacturer of The Year by The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Contact: IMET Corporation, 505 Keystone
Rd, Unit E, Southampton, PA 18966 % 866-537-2386 or 267-288-5330 Web:
www.imetcorporation.com r
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