It is best to remove the residue after soldering for aesthetics and to avoid corrosion down-the-line. Water soluble flux OA is a very active flux engineered to be removed easily with DI water, like in a batch or in-line system. It can also be removed with isopropyl alcohol IPA.
It is very important to clean off water soluble flux residues because they are highly corrosive. These classifications are for companies that have green initiatives, or have to comply with halogen restrictions due to regulatory or customer restrictions. Halogens include chlorine, fluorine, iodine, bromine and astatine elements. If soldering a simple connection, like 2 wires, or a thru-hole lead, the flux in a flux core solder should be enough.
For more complex soldering techniques, like drag soldering multiple leads on a surface mount component, additional flux may need to be added. The flux is activated and consumed when it originally flows from the core. If the solder is worked further, like when you drag across multiple leads, you run the risk of cold joints or bridging without additional flux. While more flux seems like it should be better, take care not to over apply flux. Flux can be painted on with an acid brush, or applied with either a needle bottle dispenser, or a pen dispenser.
You want the tip hot enough to melt the solder efficiency, but excess heat can damage components as the heat travels along the leads, and it will reduce the lifespan of the soldering tip. Inspect the solder joint to make sure there is full coverage over the contact area and lead. Some things to watch out for:. The goal is to match the tip shape and size to the contact pad. This allows you to maximize the contact surface area, so that you heat the lead and contact area as quickly as possible.
If you choose a tip that is too large, you have more tip volume to heat, which will slow down the heat recovery - the time it takes for the tip to reheat after soldering a joint.
It also runs the risk of interfering with other components and contact areas. It will take more dwell time, which slows you down and could increase the thermal stress of the component. Make sure you are using a soldering iron and tips intended for electronic PCB soldering. Tips intended for other applications, like stained glass, plumbing, or heavy electrical work, are generally much larger than what is appropriate for electronics.
Soldering tips come in all kinds of shapes to facilitate different PCB geometries:. The solder will tend to melt but just drip off the tip. This makes it difficult to move in order to solder around contact areas the way you may need it.
The purpose is to remove excess flux and solder from the tip. If too much flux builds up and burns onto the soldering tip, it will eventually dewet and be unusable but not necessarily unrecoverable.
Unless the tip cleaning tools are used properly, they can do more harm than good. When choosing a sponge, make sure it is made of natural cellulose like Plato replacement sponges.
Synthetic sponges will melt onto the soldering tip and can shorten tip life. Use clean DI water. Tap water may include minerals that can build-up on the tip. When you saturate the sponge, wring it out so that it is not dripping wet. Too much water can increase the thermal stress of the tip, and slow down tip recovery. When the soldering tip has turned black from baked on fluxes and no longer wets properly, it is time for the cleaning tools of last resort.
Tip tinner Plato TT is a combination of lead-free solder and cleaner. While the soldering iron is at full temperature, roll it in the tip tinner. As you roll it, it should change from black to shiny silver as the baked flux is cleaned off. Then wipe off the excess tip tinner from the soldering tip, and re-tin using wire solder.
Polishing bars are also available and are used to scrub the tip clean of flux residues. This should only be used as a last resort because you will be removing iron along with the burnt flux.
Once a tip shows pitting - actual holes in the iron - it is time to be replaced. Remember to use a jabbing motion using a brass tip cleaner. Wiping across the surface increases the likelihood of flinging molten solder. Since the move from lead to lead-free solders, a common complaint has been short tip life. The higher heat needed for lead-free solders and flux combined with greater activity leads to faster tip burn-out.
Often the tips turn black, the solder beads and just drips off the end of the tip. Soldering tips have a copper core that transfers heat from the heating element to the working end tip of the tip.
Because copper is very soft and easily corroded and worn away, other metals are used to plate over the copper, including an outer layer of iron. Although iron is very hard, it will still corrode eventually. In addition, it can be coated with flux and other soils, which can cause dewetting. Corrosion and dewetting will slow down soldering and eventually necessitate scrapping the tip. Although all tips will have their day in the trash bin, there are several steps an operator can take to increase tip life:.
When leaving the solder station for anything over 5 minutes, turn it off. When you leave the station turned on, the tip remains at soldering temperature, further reducing tip life. Modern soldering equipment heats up to a soldering temperature in seconds, so the time savings is not worth the reduction in tip life. Once there is pitting and visible corrosion, it is time for a new tip. The outside of a soldering tip is plated with iron over the thermally conductive copper center. This protects the soft, corrosion-prone copper from the harsh fluxes.
Once flux gets through the iron plating through pits, the tip will be eaten away quickly. After all, the components have been replaced and excess solder removed…. This is an optional step for no-clean flux, but still a good idea for densely populated or high voltage boards. It is absolutely required, regardless of the flux type, if you plan to follow your repair with conformal coating.
That concludes our Ultimate Guide to Electronic Soldering. Still have questions about which soldering products are best for your applications? Contact us at , or send us a message here. Americas English Spanish. My account Login View Cart 0.
The flux not only removes the oxidation but also is there to reduce the interfacial tension in order to create better and more durable solder joints.
This auxiliary material ensures that the parts to be joined are held together before they are finally soldered. The flux guarantees a good solder connection. Inside the solder wire there is at least one core that is filled with flux.
If the solder wire comes into contact with the components during soldering, the solder melts, and the flux is released, i. Of course, if the flux is burned it will no longer work. For this reason, additional flux is used. As a rule, this must also be used in order to get an optimal soldering result.
It is advisable to treat the soldering surfaces beforehand with the appropriate flux, which creates a protective surface that prevents oxidation. With conventional hand soldering, there is enough flux in the soldering wire. The choice of flux depends on whether aluminum or stainless steel is to be processed or whether electronic work is to be carried out.
In this case, high-quality flux must be used to avoid any residue or rust. Dirty parts to be joined require an acidic flux. As a result, there are differences in the dosage, so that flux is offered in tubes or even in canisters. The differences between the products are briefly explained here:. Flux is required so that the workpieces are optimally wetted by the solder during soldering.
A chemical reaction removes the oxides present on the workpiece surfaces or prevents the formation of new oxides during the soldering process. Besides, the surface tension of the liquid solder is reduced so that the solder can lie cleanly on the workpieces. Conveniently, the flux is fed to the solder joint together with the solder.
For this purpose, the tin solder is built up in the shape of a tube and the flux is embedded inside. Flux is a filler metal that people use brazing, soldering, and welding processes. It helps to prevent oxidation of the surfaces of metals that you work with and need to join. During the oxidation process, metal becomes weaker what makes it easier to be joined during soldering. From the very beginning, you should understand that this is not some kind of a special type of flux.
It is the property of flux to be water-soluble. If you have such kind of flux, it means that you can clear it after the soldering process with water. Nevertheless, it is necessary to mention that no ordinary water should be used.
It is recommended to use distilled or deionized water. Some detergents can also be compatible with the type of flux you have. Thus, you need to check the specifications of flux. My hobby is electronic circuits and soldering irons. It describes a situation when the board has been electrically damaged and is no longer usable. If you notice a burning odor coming from your Arduino, it's time to replace it.
Through adding incorrect voltages or creating inappropriate links, people often…. Aluminum is a bad metal for soldering. But sometimes you need to use this metal or parts of this metal for DIY soldering projects. That is why I decided to share a few tips and guidelines about soldering aluminum. First things first — any usual solder or flux is not suitable for soldering aluminum, it…. Pumps, compressors, engines, conveyors, machines, and other manufacturing equipment use oscilloscopes to transform electrical power to mechanical power.
The voltage signals that power these electromechanical devices are an essential yet unseen force. So, how can you see and catch the invisible force?
An oscilloscope also known as an o-scope or just scope is a graph-display…. Being an owner of SolderingIronGuide and a soldering semi-expert for many years, I know for sure that irons are so hard to maintain. Trying to solder metals that are dirty will not create a secure long lasting bond. So, fluxes also have the added benefit of cleaning these metal surfaces. The activator package of a flux is a specific chemical designed to remove oxides, oil and dirt.
The flux is acidic in nature because acids are great at removing oxides by converting them to soluble salts. A great analogy here is the use of detergent in removing grease and grime from your dirty dishes. Imagine having to wash your dishes with just water alone. It does not have the chemical attributes of a detergent to remove all that dirt.
Another important role a flux plays during the cleaning phase is to protect the metal from re-oxidizing. After the metals are cleaned they are exposed to oxygen in the air.
The activator package which is rosin based stays active throughout the entire process thus protecting the metal from re-oxidizing. Finally, flux should promote a good flow of solder. You will know if you have ever tried soldering how annoying it is when the solder just does not stick or flow well and create good joints. A good flux allows the solder to flow well by lowering the surface tension between the metal and melted solder.
The flux you use will depend on the application. There are two main applications which include Industrial, and Electronics. Industrial Applications include plumbing, roofing, automobile, where metals like copper, brass, steel, stainless steel, Aluminum and Aluminium alloys are used. Electronics Applications use three standards of flux ; rosin, water soluble and no clean fluxes. Rosin Flux is a natural based resin that is derived from the pine tree. There are three types of rosin flux.
They are divided up based on how active they are resulting in a cleaner surface and more residue. Water Soluble fluxes are composed of organic materials and are also sometimes referred to as an organic acid flux. It has good flux activity and a great wetting agent. A No Clean flux has its description in its name. It does not require any cleaning after soldering. So, we have covered the process of soldering as well as solder filler materials used to bond metals together.
Knowing how the soldering process works will give you a better understanding of whether you need flux or not when soldering. So can you solder without flux? The best way to approach this question is to give you all of the advantages of soldering with flux. The first and most important advantage is, better solder joints.
As you saw in the section about flux, its main purpose is to clean and remove oxide as well as any other impurities from the metals being joined. If you have weak solder joints, the metals being soldered are prone to damage overtime. With electronic soldering having a weak solder joint results in poor electrical conduction. Next is a better flow of solder. Flux enables a better flow of solder. This has many advantages. Having a better flow of solder means having to use less solder.
Using less solder has the added benefit of lowering your cost as you will be using and buying less solder. Also, soldering at lower temperatures, solder does not melt, flow and adhere well. Using flux will help promote a better flow and alleviate your frustrations. Lastly, allow for desoldering. If you have ever had the misfortune of having to desolder a solder joint without flux, you know how hard it is. Desoldering a solder joint that has oxidation is near impossible.
Since flux removes this oxidation, desoldering will be much easier. Also using a lead-free solder without flux is quite a challenging task. It is best practice to use flux here. If you are a hobbyist dealing with soldering electronic circuits, it will not really be much of an issue if you solder without flux. Industrial applications involving electronics, plumbing, automobiles, or construction and repair of jewelry will need better and more secure bonds.
These can only be achieved with the use of the right flux. The good news is, there is a solder out there that has flux embedded in its core. This is known as Rosin Core Solder. As you saw before, Rosin Flux is a widely used natural flux. The Kester Rosin Core Solder is a great solder which contains flux.
It is the difference between good and great soldering joints. So, for smaller electronic applications you can use this solder without having to externally apply flux and still get the same benefits. Using flux has many benefits and will only make your life easier during the soldering and desoldering process.
However, if you are not wanting to use flux and are soldering electronic components and circuit boards you have the fortune of having a solder that contains flux. Flux in its simplest definition is a cleaning agent.
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