Soldering nozzles and flux applicators play an important role in selective soldering, and the technological advancements in these products have resulted in higher productivity.
By Sneha Ambastha
Selective soldering is a process in which specific components are soldered to printed circuit boards (PCBs) and modules. This process is used in traditional SMT soldering, where reflow soldering can damage components, and in through-hole mounting, where reliability is important. Initial, entry level selective soldering is considered to be an improvement over hand soldering. Selective soldering, when compared to other soldering processes, is considered demanding as it has certain pre-requirements like a preheating time, a specified flux quantity, etc. But precise and accurate work done by the machine can result in zero-fault production.
A few selective soldering systems launched in the last one year
Model: HC26-38F, Brand: TAMURA, Company: Tamura H.A. Systems
HC26-38F is the latest selective soldering machine from Tamura, and has lead-free, inline soldering capabilities. It comes with the flat linear induction pump (FLIP) solder bath technology for improved soldering. Its features not only help to reduce the equipment-running cost but also enable innovative soldering processes. It allows a 3mm PCB edge clearance and can be used with plenty of optional features like auto width adjustment, PCB drop detection, top side holding, etc. It can also detect if the solder level is high or low.
Key features
- Is a high volume, fully automated machine
- Enables good quality soldering on the top fillet
- Allows horizontal soldering on the top fillet SMEMA passline
- Its six individual FLIP units in the solder bath are individually programmable—for soldering time and soldering height
Key specifications:
Applicable PCB (W x L):
- Minimum: 100mm x 150mm
- Maximum: 260mm x 360mm
Clearance between selected parts and other parts: 5mm
Throughput takt time per board/panel: 25 seconds
Selective solder bath:
- 6 FLIP units
- 6 individual zones
- 6 individual settings
Spray fluxer: x-y axes, AC servo robot programmable
Controls and operation:
- Touch panel operation
- 20 PCA memories
USP: Provides high volume, fully automated lead-free soldering
Contact details: [email protected], www.tamura-ha.com
Model: Elite series, Brand: ACE, Company: ACE Production Technologies
This recently launched Elite range comprises a series of interchangeable modules that are capable of mixing and matching in-line flux and the preheated modules with a different range of selective soldering modules. These modules can work with two different types of applicators – the atomising flux applicator and the precision drop-jet flux applicator. The atomising flux applicator allows concurrent fluxing and preheating for the rapid application of different types of flux, whereas the precision drop-jet variant is used for no-clean processing.
Key features
- Comes with extremely high speed workcells for critical through-hole soldering applications
- Concurrent fluxing, preheating and soldering reduces the overall processing time
- Its in-line flux and preheating modules can be paired with any existing selective soldering machines using the SMEMA interface
- Comes with a single selective soldering nozzle and a dual selective solder nozzle pump assembly, with two different-sized solder nozzles that operate independently
Key specifications:
Applicable PCB (W x L):
- 406mm x 406mm
- 610mm x 457mm
Selective soldering nozzles: Two or four
Flux system: Atomising flux applicator and
precision drop-jet flux applicator
USP: Innovative in-line soldering system
Contact details: www.ace-protech.com
Model: ESS selective soldering machines, Brand: DDM Novastar, Company: DDM Novastar Inc.
The ESS selective soldering series comprises the ESS310 and ESS500 machines, which are designed for short term mixed signal applications. It has a shorter board processing time compared to the hand soldering process and is considered to be an economic solution for prototyping, product development and all electronics manufacturing applications. It can be used by manufacturers looking for an improvement in the productivity of their selective soldering processes.
Key features
- Enabled with through-hole soldering flexibility with single point, drag, mini-wave, or dip soldering processes
- Achieves almost ‘zero defect’ on solder joints with exceptional accuracy and repeatability
- Enables easy operation with minimum handling, has a small footprint and durable construction
- Comes with a touchscreen interface for instrument setting up and parameter control
- Allows offline programming with Gerber import software and Photoscan for easy setting up of the machine
Key specifications:
Applicable PCB (W x L):
- ESS310: 310mm x 310mm
- ESS500: 500mm x 500mm
Flux system: Spray fluxer with flux speed of 6m/min
Min. neighbouring component clearance: 1.5mm – 3mm, depending on the nozzle type
Controls and operation: Programmable control with offline software
USP: Selective soldering with greater throughput, accuracy and reliability
Contact details: [email protected], www.ddmnovastar.com
Model: VERSAFLOW 4/55, Brand: Ersa, Company: Ersa GmbH
Versaflow 4/55 is a next-generation selective soldering machine with the VERSAFLEX selective soldering module. This soldering module is said to offer unlimited flexibility with high-end productivity without any compromise in the production quality. The solder pots available here have no dependencies and can freely move in any direction (x, y and z). The module has anti-collision software that enables the free movement of the solder pot. The machine can be integrated into the in-line manufacturing process.
Key features
- Allows mini-wave soldering for high flexibility or multi-wave soldering (under development) for high volume applications
- Comes with the Versacam for on-the-fly height measurement
- Allows a change of product with no loss in production time with the multi-wave process (under development)
- With respect to the modularity of its design, it has a flexible system configuration
Key specifications:
Applicable PCB (W x L):
- Minimum: 63.5mm x 127mm
- Maximum: 508mm x 508mm
Selective module:
- Electromagnetic solder pot
- Mini-wave 13kg up to 6 pots
Flux system: Use of up to 4 flux spray heads
Controls and operation: CAD-assistant for offline programming
USP: Allows solder pot adjustment in x, y and z directions with the Versaflex module
Contact details: [email protected], www.kurtzersa.com
