Microtronic, which positions itself as the world's leading supplier of solderability testers — also referred to as solder balances or wetting balance instruments — has announced a software extension for its LBT210 platform that introduces a centralised database architecture. The option is designed to address a persistent challenge in multi-plant electronics manufacturing operations: the inconsistency of solderability test data when instruments are configured and operated independently at separate sites.
The core functionality of the new option allows every LBT210 unit within a company to synchronise its data via a shared central database. This covers test configurations, solder alloy definitions, flux specifications, user accounts with associated access rights, and stored test results. According to Microtronic, the practical effect is that a qualified process engineer at a central location — with appropriate user privileges — can define test parameters for specific component types and push those settings globally, ensuring that identical components are assessed under identical conditions regardless of which facility or country the instrument is located in.
From a process engineering perspective, this is relevant to any manufacturer qualifying solder pastes, wire solders or component finishes under standards such as IPC J-STD-002 or IEC 60068-2-69. Wetting balance testing measures the wetting force as a function of time when a component lead or termination is immersed in molten solder, yielding quantitative data on solderability. When test parameters — including solder bath temperature, flux type, immersion speed and depth — vary between sites, cross-site comparisons of wetting curves become unreliable. Centralised parameter management directly mitigates this risk.
Complementing the database option, Microtronic is also offering a desktop workstation version of the LBT210 software. This allows operators and process engineers to configure tests, review results and perform data analysis on a standard PC without occupying the instrument itself, avoiding interruption to ongoing production testing workflows.
Ernst Eggelaar, managing director of Microtronic, commented: 'We continuously strive to make our instruments more versatile and easier to use. This new software option is a significant step in that direction. Above all, it guarantees a reliable data foundation — regardless of which plant the LBT210 is installed in.'
Microtronic announced that the centralised database extension will be formally launched at Productronica in Munich, Hall A2, Stand 160. Productronica is the principal international trade exhibition for electronics manufacturing technology and serves as a key platform for soldering process and materials suppliers active in the European and global market.
Quelle: Microtronic (semicon) – https://www.microtronic.de/index.php/news/294-zentrale-db-microtronic-stellt-einzigartige-software-erweiterung-fuer-die-lbt210-loetbarkeitstester-vor
