Should You Test Your Solder Pot?
If you’ve been running a wave or selective solder machine, solder fountain or dip pots for more than a year or two, it is probably time for you to test the solder.
How Does Your Solder Pot Alloy Change?
- Molten solder picks up contaminants from the parts being dipped, tinned or soldered. The smaller the pot and higher the throughput, the more likely it is that the solder will be affected.
- Leaded solder alloys like 63/37 can pick up Copper, Nickel or Gold contaminants.
- Lead-free solder pots sometimes pick up lead from older components. Since lead-free runs at higher temperatures, it is more likely to “scavenge” metals from component surfaces including Nickel and Gold.
Why Should You Test Your Solder Pot?
- In small trace amounts, these metal contaminants pose no problem, but if they grow above recommended thresholds, they can begin to cause solderability problems. In addition, the alloy mix can change over time because dross (skimmings) tend to be Tin-rich.
- To ensure that your Lead-Free pot is still truly Lead-Free.
- For ISO or AS9100 compliance, periodic Solder bath testing should be part of your quality program along with calibration testing.
What Does The Lab Report Show?
Solder bath testing is performed at Alpha’s industry-leading laboratory. The Pot-Rite Lab Report shows the actual contents of your sample along with a comparison to the required specification.
How Much Does The Test Cost?
The price for the test changes periodically so please be sure to contact our customer service team for the price.
If you need to check your solder pot or are even considering it, click the link below to visit our website and view an example:
