What are the differences between wave soldering and reflow soldering in circuit boards?

In PCBA processing, two common welding methods are reflow soldering and wave soldering. So what is the role of reflow soldering in PCBA processing, what is the role of wave soldering, and what are their differences? This article will provide a detailed explanation.

PCBA refers to the abbreviation of Printed Circuit Board+Assembly, which means the entire process of PCB blank board passing through SMT assembly and then DIP plugin, abbreviated as PCBA. This is a commonly used writing method in China, while the standard writing method in Europe and America is PCB'A, with the addition of "", which is known as the official idiom.

1. Reflow soldering:

It refers to the electrical interconnection between the pins or solder terminals of electronic components pre installed on the solder pads and the solder pads on the PCB by heating and melting the solder paste pre coated on the solder pads, in order to achieve the purpose of soldering electronic components on the PCB board. Reflow soldering is generally divided into preheating zone, heating zone, and cooling zone.

Reflow soldering process: printing solder paste>mounting components>reflow soldering>cleaning

2. Wave soldering:

Use a pump to spray melted solder into solder peaks, and then pass the pins of the electronic components that need to be soldered through the solder peaks to achieve electrical interconnection between the electronic components and the PCB board. One wave soldering machine is divided into four parts: spray, preheating, tin furnace and cooling.

Wave soldering process: Insert>Apply flux>Preheat>Wave soldering>Cut off edges and corners>Check.

3. The difference between wave soldering and reflow soldering:

(1) Wave soldering is the process of forming solder peaks from molten solder to solder components; Reflow soldering is the process of soldering components using high-temperature hot air to form reflow and melt solder.

(2) When reflow soldering, there is already solder on the PCB before it is put into the furnace. After soldering, only the coated solder paste is melted and welded. During peak soldering, there is no solder on the PCB before it is put into the furnace. The solder wave generated by the welding machine spreads the solder on the solder pads that need to be welded to complete the soldering.

(3) Reflow soldering is suitable for SMT electronic components, while wave soldering is suitable for plug-in electronic components.

The above is the content related to wave soldering and reflow soldering in circuit board soldering compiled by Chuangxin Testing. We hope it will be helpful to you. Chuangxin Testing is a professional testing institution for electronic components, currently mainly providing integrated circuit testing services such as capacitors, resistors, connectors, MCU, CPLD, FPGA, DSP, etc. Specializing in functional testing of electronic components, appearance testing of incoming electronic components, anatomical testing of electronic components, acetone testing, X-ray scanning testing of electronic components, and ROHS component analysis testing. Welcome to call, we will be happy to serve you.