Mounting of Meritec Through Hole Products Using Lead-Free Solder Meritec • 1359 West Jackson Street • Painesville • Ohio • 44077 • USA (888)637-4832 • (440)354-3148 • (440)354-0509 FAX • www.meritec.
Mounting of Meritec Through Hole Products Using Lead-Free Solder Contents Page 2 Scope Page 3 Test Samples/Preparation Page 3 Facilities/Equipment Used Page 4 Pb-Free Wave Soldering Profile Page 5 Pb-Free Solder Joint Photos Page 6 Pb-Free Solder Joint X-Ray Page 7 Conclusions Page 8 Commentary Page 9 Backwards Compatibility Wave Profile (Sn63/Pb37) Page 10 Contacting Meritec Page 11 This document © Copyright Meritec 2005 Other Brands and Names Are The Property of Their Respective Own
Scope To determine acceptable methods and materials for mounting Meritec’s Through Hole products using lead-free wave processes. The findings will form the basis by which Meritec can assist it’s customers in making the changeover. After reviewing the current product line, it was decided that Meritec’s PCI Connector Product represented the biggest challenge. Of these, we chose the 184 pin right angle version for our tests. 1...
Facilities The facilities used for this testing were located at: APSCO International 3700 Lane Road Perry, Ohio 44081 APSCO International was chosen for it’s well qualified lead-free SMT and Wave production lines and knowledgeable personnel. APSCO has been addressing RoHS compliance since 2003. Equipment Equipment used for the Pb free tests was: Wave Solder Line...Electrovert Econopak Plus Inspection...Ersa scope Xray...
Pb Free “Target” Wave Soldering Profile Meritec • 1359 West Jackson Street • Painesville • Ohio • 44077 • USA (888)637-4832 • (440)354-3148 • (440)354-0509 FAX • www.meritec.
Pb Free Solder Joint Photos Meritec • 1359 West Jackson Street • Painesville • Ohio • 44077 • USA (888)637-4832 • (440)354-3148 • (440)354-0509 FAX • www.meritec.
Pb Free Solder Joint X-Ray Meritec • 1359 West Jackson Street • Painesville • Ohio • 44077 • USA (888)637-4832 • (440)354-3148 • (440)354-0509 FAX • www.meritec.
Conclusions Good results were achieved with the profile on page 5 using the materials defined on page 3. Though the new lead-free solder alloys do not flow and wet as well as leadbearing alloys, the solder joints were quite acceptable based on the new proposed standards. Fig. 1 on page 6 is typical of the results to be expected with the new lead-free alloys. Fig 2 illustrates how the new alloys and plating materials result in a smaller fillet on the top side of the board.
Commentary Other platings, board finishes and solder alloys were considered for inclusion in our tests. The following is a brief discussion regarding these other materials: • PCB Finish...Two popular finishes were considered for use in these tests, ENIG (Electroless Nickel/Immersion Gold) and Immersion Silver. Each has unique benefits and liabilities that warrant further discussion.
Backwards Compatibility Wave Profile (Sn63/Pb37) Realizing that many users will still be soldering with lead-bearing alloys for the foreseeable future, we’ve included this profile here. The results were very good, demonstrating that the Pd plating is very compatible with with the older alloys. Meritec • 1359 West Jackson Street • Painesville • Ohio • 44077 • USA (888)637-4832 • (440)354-3148 • (440)354-0509 FAX • www.meritec.
If you require further assistance, please contact Meritec at: Meritec ® 1359 West Jackson Street Painesville, Ohio 44077 Phone: (888)637-4832 or (440) 354-3148 FAX: (440)354-0509 Internet: www.meritec.com E-mail: info@meritec.com If you would like to contact APSCO to inquire about their services: APSCO International 3700 Lane Road Perry, Ohio 44081 Phone: (440) 352-8961 FAX: (440)354-7333 Internet: www.apscoinc.com E-mail: sales@apscoinc.
