The Difference Between Parallel Measurement Results of Soldering Fluxes
The soldering process is an important process in electronic product assembly, and the performance of the soldering material will directly affect the reliability, mechanical strength and service life of the electronic product. Therefore, the quality of soldering material should be stringent and regularly tested. Soldering fluxes also need to be tested to ensure that they are effective against all materials involved in the soldering process and will not corrode the board materials due to their usage. The best way to test the performance of a soldering flux is to perform parallel measurement tests on a variety of different boards.
Parallel measurements involve exposing two or more identical boards to the same soldering flux, then inspecting each board for common evidence such as wetting, hole coverage, and bridging. In addition to these visual tests, measurements such as shear strength and ultimate tensile strength are also necessary for a more complete test. The results of these parallel measurements must then be compared to determine the performance of the solder flux on the boards and whether or not there is consistency and reliability.
The most important step of parallel measurement testing is ensuring that the comparison of the results is a valid representation of the soldering flux performance. All measurements such as probe resistance and thermal profile should be made when possible to ensure the comparison is an accurate representation of the results. Additionally, depending on the type of solder flux, different materials should be tested such as copper, lead, and gold.
To assess the differences between the parallel results of a soldering flux, a qualified assessment of the differences between each phenomenon should be made. The difference between each phenomenon should not exceed the allowable margin of error. This adjusts the reliability of the results and allows the user to be assured that the solder flux performs consistently and reliably. For example, when inspecting the wetting, the user should check if the liquid solder and the flux are completely wetting the surface, and the two or more results should not vary significantly.
Soldering is a delicate process and the performance of the soldering flux is of utmost importance to ensure all the other materials involved in the soldering process are reliable. Parallel measurement results give a good indication of whether a solder flux is good or bad. The key then is to ensure that the differences between the parallel results are within the allowable margins of error. This way, the user can be sure that the solder flux is reliable and consistent across all materials tested.
