Size Matters - The Effects of Solder Powder Size on Solder Paste Performance
Published: |
October 27, 2020 |
Author: |
Tony Lentz |
Abstract: |
Solder powder size is a popular topic in the electronics industry due to the continuing trend of miniaturization of electronics. The question commonly asked is "when should we switch from Type 3 to a smaller solder powder?" Solder powder size is usually chosen based on the printing requirements for the solder paste. It is common practice to use IPC Type 4 or 5 solder powders for stencil designs that include area ratios below the recommended IPC limit of 0.66. The effects of solder powder size on printability of solder paste have been well documented. The size of the solder powder affects the performance of the solder paste in other ways. Shelf life, stencil life, reflow performance, voiding behavior, and reactivity / stability are all affected by solder powder size. Testing was conducted to measure each of these solder paste performance attributes for IPC Type 3, Type 4, Type 5 and Type 6 SAC305 solder powders in both water soluble and no clean solder pastes. The performance data for each size of solder powder in each solder paste flux was quantified and summarized. Guidance for choosing the optimal size of solder powder is given based on the results of this study.... |
|
Company Information:
More articles from FCT ASSEMBLY, INC. »
- Jul 06, 2021 - How Does Surface Finish Affect Solder Paste Performance?
- Dec 29, 2020 - Fill the Void V - Mitigation of Voiding for Bottom Terminated Components
- Oct 10, 2019 - Fill the Void IV: Elimination of Inter-Via Voiding
- Mar 13, 2019 - An Investigation Into The Durability Of Stencil Coating Technologies
- Oct 03, 2018 - Fill the Void II: An Investigation into Methods of Reducing Voiding
- See all SMT / PCB technical articles from FCT ASSEMBLY, INC. »
More SMT / PCB assembly technical articles »
- Apr 11, 2022 - iNEMI Webinar 07.07.2021 - PCB Cleaning | ZESTRON Americas
- Jan 28, 2022 - Open Radio Unit White Box 5G | Whizz Systems
- Nov 10, 2021 - Understanding the Cleaning Process for Automatic Stencil Printers | ITW EAE
- Oct 20, 2021 - PCB Surface Finishes & The Cleaning Process - A Compatibility Study | ZESTRON Americas
- Oct 06, 2021 - Cleaning Before Conformal Coating | ZESTRON Americas
- Browse Technical Library »
Size Matters - The Effects of Solder Powder Size on Solder Paste Performance article has been viewed 564 times