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Wave Soldering Defects - Poor Penetration
For a solder joint to form on the topside of a
board, flux needs to be present in the plated through holes. The
temperature of the topside of the board needs to have reached a
minimum of 100-110°C. The most common process problem today with
no clean is limited flux application. It is generally uncommon
to have problems with through hole plating provided a board manufacturer's
products are evaluated prior to use. It is also firmly uncommon
to have contamination in the through hole causing this sort of
problem. If flux penetration is present and correct pre-heat obtained
then have the printed board tested.
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| Figure 1: Poor penetration is caused by either inadequate
flux application or inadequate pre-heating. |
In Figure 2, the solder has failed to fill the plated
through hole on one side of the component. The solder has wetted the
PCB, but
failed to fully wet the component lead, which is more likely to be
flux related. If the fault
is with the process conditions, there should be other positions on
the board that have a similar problem. Simple solderability testing
of the board and
component termination should indicate if the fault is process or material
related.
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| Figure 2: Poor penetration here is likely to be flux
related. |
Wave Soldering Defects:
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Poor Penetration | | |
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