“Excellent results and process adaptability underpin our latest development initiative,” says Ian Wilding, the company’s Global Technology Director, explaining the manufacturing advantages. “The unique formulation allows a tin-lead solder paste to work seamlessly with lead-free components, which is essential for the reliability of many mission-critical applications.”
The solder paste is available with a standard, tin-lead Sn63 eutectic alloy, as well as the company’s proprietary anti-tombstoning 63S4 alloy. The material’s properties allow it to reflow at high temperatures, expanding the reflow process window to facilitate strong intermetallic formation between the tin-lead paste and lead-free and tin-lead components. The result is excellent solderability in air or nitrogen across a broad range of challenging surface finishes including OSP-Cu, ENIG and silver.
The material is suitable for high-speed, fine-pitch printing, with a wide print window and excellent results on components as small as 0201s, keeping defects such as solder bridging to a minimum. In addition, LOCTITE HF 2W flux residues can be cleaned via ultrasonic and spray under immersion cleaning processes as many as seven days post-assembly, providing assembly specialists with maximum flexibility.
The solder paste has been formulated for high-reliability applications such as those found in the medical, hard disk drive, aerospace and defense markets, among others.
