| Hi all, | | We have a little discussion here about the suitable flux for a certain process, as all of us are beginners we need your advice. | | We are producing VGA cards and mother boards for PC's all components to be wave soldered are TH, the SMD is done by reflow in a previous step. | We have a medium size wave soldering M/C, heated length is about 130-150 cm with foam fluxer. | My colleague -who trained in Taiwan- say that the water Soluable flux is the most suitable flux with this machine, and for this product. | I see that the No-clean flux is the most suitable. | | Is there any one who produces this product can help us? | What do you all think? | | Mohamed | | Mohamed: Both Brian and Wolfgang have done an admirable job of answering one part of your two part question ... the part relating to which flux is appropriate for you product. I prefer the low road and will attempt to answer the other part of your question ... which flux are we supposed to be using with this wave solder machine?
Hopefullly I can keep it as broad and non-specific as the answers to the first part that you are still shaking your head. Just kidding ... gesh ;-)
Foam fluxers do a better job of foaming with mid to high solid content fluxes than low solid content fluxes. So it's up to you to select a flux with a solid content matches-up well with your fluxer. Cause if you don't, you'll be over at Walmart buying paint brushes. HaHaHa Anyhow, generally:
* Water soluable fluxes have mid to high solid content. * No-Clean fluxes have low to mid solid content. The higher the solid content no-clean flux, the more ugly, hopefully benign crud that'll be on the surface of your board when you send it to your customer.
Your flux and equipment suppliers can give specific advise on how well you machine matches with the solid content of specific flux types.
In a modern world, the alternative to your foam fluxer for low solid content fluxes is a spray fluxer. Read an article (in the SMTnet library) on spray fluxers our friend Chrys wrote. (it's sad she is no longer with us, because she would make a valuable cintribuion to this discussion, but alas.)
Moving on, in a primative world, the alternative to a foam fluxer is a wave fluxer. If you find yourself in that more primative world, try and get your colleague to be the one recognized by your boss as the maven of wave solder fluxing.
Continuing with that last through, it looks like you and your colleague provide a good balance of backgrounds to help each other grow and assemble good products for your company. (So long as you don't kill each other) ;-0
Ta
Dave F
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