Reflow soldering vs wave soldering process characteristics and difference

Reflow soldering vs wave soldering process characteristics and difference

Wave soldering and reflow soldering are essential welding equipment for electronic product production welding. Wave soldering is used to weld active plug-in electronic components, reflow soldering is used to weld passive pin electronic components, and reflow soldering is also a type of SMT production process. Below, we will share with you the characteristics of reflow soldering process compared to wave soldering.

1. Reflow soldering process is not like wave soldering, which involves immersing components directly into molten solder, resulting in less thermal shock to the components. However, due to different heating methods for reflow soldering, significant thermal stress may sometimes be applied to the components;

2. The reflow soldering process only requires the application of solder on the solder pad and can control the amount of solder applied, avoiding the occurrence of welding defects such as virtual soldering and continuous soldering. Therefore, the welding quality is good and the reliability is high;

3. Reflow soldering technology has a self positioning effect. When there is a certain deviation in the placement position of the component, due to the surface tension of the molten solder, when all of its solder ends or pins are wetted with the corresponding solder pads at the same time, under the surface tension, it is automatically pulled back to the approximate target position;

4. The solder in the reflow soldering process will not contain impurities, and when using solder paste, it can ensure the correct composition of the solder;

5. The reflow soldering process can use a local heating source, so that different soldering processes can be used for soldering on the same circuit board;

6. Compared to wave soldering, reflow soldering is simpler and requires minimal plate repair work, thus saving manpower, electricity, and materials.