Suzhou million Belts and billion Roads Electronic Technology Co,.Ltd 
How to Select a Suitable Selective Soldering Technique?
Release time：2024-11-13 15:39:26 Hit：70
I. Product Characteristics
Type of Circuit Board
1、Single-sided Circuit Boards: If it is a single-sided circuit board with a relatively simple distribution of components, traditional manual selective soldering or simple semi-automatic selective soldering equipment may be sufficient. For example, for the circuit boards of some simple electronic toys, where the components are mainly concentrated on one side, the requirements for welding precision and speed are not extremely high.
2、Double-sided and Multi-layer Circuit Boards: For double-sided or multi-layer circuit boards, due to their complex structures, a selective soldering technique that can precisely control welding parameters should be considered. For example, the selective wave soldering technique can control the welding head through programming to precisely weld the solder joints on different layers, avoiding affecting other parts. It is suitable for complex circuit boards with high precision requirements, such as computer motherboards.
Type and Layout of Components
1、Small and Precision Components: When there are a large number of small, precision components on the circuit board, such as chips (ICs), microcontrollers, surface mount devices (SMDs), etc., a technique that can provide fine welding control should be selected. Laser selective soldering is a good choice as it can focus the laser beam on very small solder joints to achieve high-precision welding with a very small heat-affected zone, without damaging the surrounding sensitive components.
2、Large and Irregular Components: For large components or components with irregular shapes, such as transformers, radiators, etc., a selective soldering technique that can adapt to different shapes and sizes may be required. A selective soldering system assisted by a robotic arm can flexibly adjust the welding path and parameters according to the shape and position of the components to ensure welding quality.
3、Density of Component Layout: If the density of component layout is high, the selective soldering technique should be able to precisely locate the solder joints to avoid short circuits. For example, in the circuit boards of mobile phones, the spacing between components is very small. Using a selective soldering device with high-precision positioning functions, such as a selective soldering system assisted by visual recognition, which can identify the positions of solder joints through a camera and accurately perform the welding to prevent short circuits between adjacent solder joints.
II. Production Scale and Efficiency Requirements
Small-batch Production：For small-batch production, flexibility is the key. Manual selective soldering or template-based selective soldering techniques may be more appropriate. Manual selective soldering can be adjusted according to the specific situation of each product, and template selective soldering can adapt to different circuit board designs by making different templates with relatively low costs. For example, in some scientific research laboratories when making a small number of experimental circuit boards or in small electronics repair shops when performing repairs, manual selective soldering is a commonly used method.
Large-batch Production：In a large-batch production environment, a highly automated selective soldering technique is the preferred choice. For example, a high-speed selective wave soldering production line can achieve continuous and efficient welding. These devices can quickly weld circuit boards and, through an automated quality inspection system, promptly detect and correct welding defects to ensure the consistency of product quality. When large electronic manufacturing enterprises produce large quantities of electronic products such as smartphones and tablets, they will adopt such efficient automated selective soldering techniques.
III. Cost Budget
Equipment Purchase Cost：The prices of equipment corresponding to different selective soldering techniques vary greatly. The cost of simple manual selective soldering tools is very low, which may only require a soldering iron and auxiliary tools worth a few hundred yuan. However, high-end automated selective soldering equipment, such as laser selective soldering systems or high-precision robotic selective soldering systems, may cost hundreds of thousands of yuan or even more. Enterprises need to select suitable equipment according to their own economic strength and expected return on investment.
Operating Cost
1.
1.Consumable Cost: The selective soldering process involves consumables such as solder and flux. For example, some special solders (such as lead-free solders) are relatively expensive, and some selective soldering techniques (such as laser selective soldering) may have higher requirements for the quality and purity of the solder, which will increase the consumable cost. In addition, the usage amount and price of the flux also vary depending on the selective soldering technique. For example, the flux spraying system of selective wave soldering can precisely control the amount of flux used, saving flux compared to traditional manual welding.
2.Energy Cost: Different selective soldering techniques have different energy consumptions. The energy consumption of laser selective soldering equipment is mainly on the laser generator, while wave soldering equipment requires a large amount of electrical energy to heat the tin furnace. Enterprises need to consider these energy costs and select a selective soldering technique that is economical and efficient in the long-term operation.
3.Maintenance Cost: Complex automated selective soldering equipment requires professional technicians for maintenance, and the replacement cost of parts is relatively high. For example, an automated robotic selective soldering system may need to regularly replace the joint parts of the robotic arm, sensors, etc., while simple manual selective soldering tools only need to occasionally replace the soldering iron tip, with a relatively low maintenance cost.
Type of Circuit Board
1、Single-sided Circuit Boards: If it is a single-sided circuit board with a relatively simple distribution of components, traditional manual selective soldering or simple semi-automatic selective soldering equipment may be sufficient. For example, for the circuit boards of some simple electronic toys, where the components are mainly concentrated on one side, the requirements for welding precision and speed are not extremely high.
2、Double-sided and Multi-layer Circuit Boards: For double-sided or multi-layer circuit boards, due to their complex structures, a selective soldering technique that can precisely control welding parameters should be considered. For example, the selective wave soldering technique can control the welding head through programming to precisely weld the solder joints on different layers, avoiding affecting other parts. It is suitable for complex circuit boards with high precision requirements, such as computer motherboards.
Type and Layout of Components
1、Small and Precision Components: When there are a large number of small, precision components on the circuit board, such as chips (ICs), microcontrollers, surface mount devices (SMDs), etc., a technique that can provide fine welding control should be selected. Laser selective soldering is a good choice as it can focus the laser beam on very small solder joints to achieve high-precision welding with a very small heat-affected zone, without damaging the surrounding sensitive components.
2、Large and Irregular Components: For large components or components with irregular shapes, such as transformers, radiators, etc., a selective soldering technique that can adapt to different shapes and sizes may be required. A selective soldering system assisted by a robotic arm can flexibly adjust the welding path and parameters according to the shape and position of the components to ensure welding quality.
3、Density of Component Layout: If the density of component layout is high, the selective soldering technique should be able to precisely locate the solder joints to avoid short circuits. For example, in the circuit boards of mobile phones, the spacing between components is very small. Using a selective soldering device with high-precision positioning functions, such as a selective soldering system assisted by visual recognition, which can identify the positions of solder joints through a camera and accurately perform the welding to prevent short circuits between adjacent solder joints.
II. Production Scale and Efficiency Requirements
Small-batch Production：For small-batch production, flexibility is the key. Manual selective soldering or template-based selective soldering techniques may be more appropriate. Manual selective soldering can be adjusted according to the specific situation of each product, and template selective soldering can adapt to different circuit board designs by making different templates with relatively low costs. For example, in some scientific research laboratories when making a small number of experimental circuit boards or in small electronics repair shops when performing repairs, manual selective soldering is a commonly used method.
Large-batch Production：In a large-batch production environment, a highly automated selective soldering technique is the preferred choice. For example, a high-speed selective wave soldering production line can achieve continuous and efficient welding. These devices can quickly weld circuit boards and, through an automated quality inspection system, promptly detect and correct welding defects to ensure the consistency of product quality. When large electronic manufacturing enterprises produce large quantities of electronic products such as smartphones and tablets, they will adopt such efficient automated selective soldering techniques.
III. Cost Budget
Equipment Purchase Cost：The prices of equipment corresponding to different selective soldering techniques vary greatly. The cost of simple manual selective soldering tools is very low, which may only require a soldering iron and auxiliary tools worth a few hundred yuan. However, high-end automated selective soldering equipment, such as laser selective soldering systems or high-precision robotic selective soldering systems, may cost hundreds of thousands of yuan or even more. Enterprises need to select suitable equipment according to their own economic strength and expected return on investment.
Operating Cost
1.
1.Consumable Cost: The selective soldering process involves consumables such as solder and flux. For example, some special solders (such as lead-free solders) are relatively expensive, and some selective soldering techniques (such as laser selective soldering) may have higher requirements for the quality and purity of the solder, which will increase the consumable cost. In addition, the usage amount and price of the flux also vary depending on the selective soldering technique. For example, the flux spraying system of selective wave soldering can precisely control the amount of flux used, saving flux compared to traditional manual welding.
2.Energy Cost: Different selective soldering techniques have different energy consumptions. The energy consumption of laser selective soldering equipment is mainly on the laser generator, while wave soldering equipment requires a large amount of electrical energy to heat the tin furnace. Enterprises need to consider these energy costs and select a selective soldering technique that is economical and efficient in the long-term operation.
3.Maintenance Cost: Complex automated selective soldering equipment requires professional technicians for maintenance, and the replacement cost of parts is relatively high. For example, an automated robotic selective soldering system may need to regularly replace the joint parts of the robotic arm, sensors, etc., while simple manual selective soldering tools only need to occasionally replace the soldering iron tip, with a relatively low maintenance cost.
