1.4 Soldering Methods1.4.1. Hand soldering:
It is the oldest method of soldering, it is still popular method in certain kinds kinds of applications:
- Development of prototype boards
- Low volume production
- Soldering of extremely temperature sensitive components
- Solder reflow of fine pitch components using hot bar
- Rework or repair of machine soldered boards
The main disadvantages are operator training, speed, and consistent quality.
1.4.2 Machine Soldering:
Two prominently used machine soldering types are:
A. Wave Soldering - Primarily used for soldering through-hole components on to PCBs.
B. Reflow Soldering. - Used for soldering SMD components on to PCBs. Reflow soldering of SM components have the following advantages over manual soldering:
- Mass soldering
- Consistency in manufacture through precise control of process parameters.
- flexible for small production runs as well.