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January 24, 2021 - Updated May 11, 2016 - Originally Posted Selective Solder System Purchased At AuctionMy company purchased a used selective solder machine at an auction. At the time we were not sure what kind of solder was previously used in this system. We had the solder analyzed and it was leaded solder instead of our required lead-free solder. What options do we have since leaded solder cannot be used in any of our processes? D.T. |
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The solder pots for these systems are manufactured to the alloy they are going to use. The reason being is the lead-free runs at a higher temperature and the pots have a special coating to protect them from the added heat and alloy composition. The best and possibly only option for you is to replace the pot with a lead-free compatible pot as well as all associated tooling and nozzles that are exposed to the solder. Best of luck.
Manufacturing Applications Specialist Cirtronics Corp. Mr. Bush has 20 years experience in electronics contract manufacturing. Major areas of expertise include through hole, SMT, wave and selective soldering.
Really the best solution is to replace the pot. A pot designed for SnPb solder may not be appropriate for Pb-free solder in any case; the materials may be susceptible to erosion by the solder. You want to be sure that all the materials that contact the solder are compatible with Pb-free solder. By replacing anything that contacts the solder, you are also ensuring that Pb contamination risk is minimized. Also, be sure to clean the wire feed path and make sure the solder wire is replaced with the proper alloy.
Process Engineer Astronautics Fritz's career in electronics manufacturing has included diverse engineering roles including PWB fabrication, thick film print & fire, SMT and wave/selective solder process engineering, and electronics materials development and marketing. Fritz's educational background is in mechanical engineering with an emphasis on materials science. Design of Experiments (DoE) techniques have been an area of independent study. Fritz has published over a dozen papers at various industry conferences.
Drain or ladle as much of the tin lead solder as you can from the machine. Fill it with chunks or bars of pure tin solder, and run the machine for a short period. Drain or ladle out the pure tin, and keep it separate from the tin lead (small metal pails are good place to store the molten metal while it cools. Add the required lead free alloy. The solder supplier should be willing to purchase the tin lead and pure tin scrap, and run an analysis of the lead free alloy to confirm your lead level is below 1,000 ppm, and in compliance with ROHS.
Director of Reclaim Business Alpha Assembly Solutions I've been in the soldering materials/applications industry for 25 years. Since joining Alpha, Ive been the global product manager for preforms, wave soldering flux, solder paste and more recently the Director of the soldering materials reclaim business.
The standard practice would be to flush pure Sn through the system until the Pb drops below an acceptable limit. Several flushes with fresh Sn each time may be required to do this.
Technical Support Engineer Indium Corporation Kay Parker is a Technical Support Engineer based at Indium Corporation's headquarters in Clinton, N.Y. In this role she provides guidance and recommendations to customers related to process steps, equipment, techniques, and materials. She is also responsible for servicing the company's existing accounts and retaining new business.
The best way is to replace the solder pot altogether, along with all the nozzles/tips that will have been "contaminated" with Lead and any other parts on the machine that could possibly cross contaminate. It may be possible or some companies may offer a way to "re-tin" those items with Lead-Free solder, but I'd never take that risk.
Manufacturing Engineer Esterline Interface Technologies Mr. Hughes has been in the electronics manufacturing field for 20 years. Operating the processes and as a manufacturing engineer for the last 14 years. He is also a CIT as well as an SMTA Certified Process Engineer.
This is a relatively easy fix as selective pots are usually 100 pounds or less. Simply fill the pot with the lead-free alloy you'll be using, dump the pot and refill. Any residual lead will be dissolved into the first fill and the second fill will be compliant. The dumped material can be sold back to you solder vendor with your usual dross. If your solder pot is large, some solder suppliers offer a 'tin purge' program where lead-free alloy can be 'rented' and returned to perform the purge, but for smaller pots the economics of moving material around doesn't make sense. I would also recommend performing a solder analysis on the pot as evidence that you are within specification. One last note - there is lead present in lead-free solders - so don't expect 0.00% lead after performing these steps, 0.08 - 0.05% are typical.
Director of Product Management AIM Timothy O'Neill is the Director of Product Management for AIM Solder. AIM Solder is a leading global manufacturer of assembly materials for the electronics industry. Mr. O’Neill has 25 years of industry experience is a Certified IPC Specialist.
Mr. O’Neill’s responsibilities include developing product and technical information; he is a technical writer and presenter for industry trade publications and events and has been recognized as a Speaker of Distinction by the SMTA. You have two basic choices:
Supply Chain Engineer Matric Group Mr. Dickerson is an engineer with 20 years of manufacturing experience. He has worked supporting SMT, THT, cable assembly, and box build processes. He is a Certified SMT Process Engineer.
You have a few options, but first you might want to check if the machine is compatible to run lead free with supplier. Sometimes the older style pots can be slowly dissolved by lead free but should be ok. To clean the pot it is normally recommended to drain completely then remove and brush clean all pumps impellors and formers. This should then be followed by a tin wash to remove any Pb, then repeat above. However the pots in selective machines can be cramped and difficult to clean in all the corners. In this case you could use old Pb free alloy from other wave solder pots to wash the pot out as this could be a cheaper option. Then test these alloy washes to see if Pb level is low enough before filling with fresh alloy.
Global Product Champion Henkel Electronics Richard Boyle is a Global Product Champion at Henkel Electronics. He has over 25 years experience in the electronics assembly industry and is responsible for the global technical service of all of Henkel's solder materials.
The best option is to drain the leaded solder, clean out the machine and then perform a tin wash. Many solder suppliers can supply pure tin bar. Fill the pot with pure tin and then run it for 4-8 hours recirculating the molten tin through the soldering nozzle. Drain the tin and clean out the machine. Then it can be filled with lead free solder and should be ready to use.
Field Applications FCT Assembly Tony has worked in the electronics industry since 1994. He worked as a process engineer at a circuit board manufacturer for 5 years. Since 1999, Tony has worked for FCT Companies as a laboratory manager, facility manager, and most recently a field application engineer. He has extensive experience doing research and development, quality control, and technical service with products used to manufacture and assemble printed circuit boards. He holds B.S. and M.B.S. degrees in Chemistry.
There are two options. One is to purge the system by removing all solder old from the pot(s). The other is to buy new solder pots.
Senior Manufacturing Engineer Northrop Grumman Edithel is a chemical engineer with 20 year experience in manufacturing & process development for electronic contract manufacturers in US as well as some major OEM's. Involved in SMT, Reflow, Wave and other assembly operations entailing conformal coating and robotics.
Obviously you have to throw away your leaded solder since you cannot use it for lead free. But also make sure the solder pot is compatible with lead free solder to avoid corrosion of solder pot. Leaded solder pots are not suitable for lead free use.
President Ray Prasad Consultancy Group Ray Prasad is the founder of Ray Prasad Consultancy Group which provides teaching, consulting and technical expert services in tin-lead and lead free technologies using SMT, BGA, BTC, fine pitch and through hole components. Mr. Prasad is a long time member of IPC, and is currently the chairman of BGA committee IPC-7095 "Design and Assembly Process Implementation for BGA" and Co-Chairman of recently created IPC-7093 "Design and Assembly Process Implementation for Bottom Terminations" surface mount Components (BTCs) such as QFN, DFN and MLF.
Very good question and you have two choices.
VP Engineering Services STI Electronics Inc. Mark T. McMeen is STI Electronics Inc.ʼs Vice President of Engineering Services. He oversees the daily operations of the Engineering Services division of STI. He has over 18 years experience in the manufacturing and engineering of PCBs.
Replace the pot - all the manufacturers have different solder pots for lead free and leaded solder as the lead free runs at higher temperatures than leaded so the solder pot structure is different To avoid any cross contamination a good machine clean-up, anew solder pot and a full set of tools and nozzles is highly recommended.
Engineering and Operations Management Independent Consultant Georgian Simion is an independent consultant with 20+ years in electronics manufacturing engineering and operations.
Contact me at georgiansimion@yahoo.com. Reader Comment
Depending on the manufacturer of the selective system you have bought you may be able to reuse the solder bath. Some manufacturers produce solder baths that are both lead and lead-free compatible.
Simon Smith, Pillarhouse International Ltd.
If you want to change solder types the previous methods of cleaning and refreshing the solder are the way to go. Reader Comment
I would first contact the company that manufactured the selective soldering system and supply them with the machine serial number. They will be able to let you know if the solder pot is lead free compatible. Check for any corrosion and pitting? If the solder pot is not lead free compatible you will need to purchase a new solder pot.
Gus Mavrou, SEHO North America
If the solder pot is lead free compatible then you can remove the leaded solder, and clean the pot with new tin. Have the tin used for cleaning the solder pot analyzed for lead. Then you should be able to load with your choice of lead free solder. Have your new lead free alloy analyzed. The selective nozzles and solder pot tools supplied with the selective system cannot be used for lead free. You will have to purchase new selective nozzles and tools. If the selective system has an automatic wire solder feeder you will also need to purchase wire solder for replenishing the lead free solder in the solder pot. |
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