DVD-144C Transcript

DVD-144C
Hand Soldering –
SMT Component Installation
Below is a copy of the narration for DVD-144C. The contents for
this script were developed by a review group of industry experts and
were based on the best available knowledge at the time of
development. The narration may be helpful for translation and
technical reference.

Copyright  IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries. All Rights Reserved.

Introduction

Surface mount technology, or SMT, is almost always associated with high tech automated
assembly processes. Let’s review the basic SMT assembly sequence.

First, solder paste is typically applied to the lands of the circuit board using a stencil printer.
Newer technology allows solder paste to be dispensed directly onto the circuit board without the
use of a stencil.

Then the components are precisely positioned on the solder paste using one or more placement
machines. The faster machines – also known as chip shooters – place the smaller chip
components with machine gun rapidity. The slower machines – also known as pick and place
machines – install the larger, more complex components – such as quad flat packs, or QFPs;
plastic leaded chip carriers, or PLCCs; and ball grid arrays, or BGAs.

Last, the components are soldered to the lands on the circuit board using a reflow soldering
process.

Now, let’s examine why we need to know how to hand solder surface mount components. For
starters, some types of components may not be suitable for an automated process. And during
visual inspection, there may be components that are missing from the assembly, or misaligned. In
these situations, production solder technicians will need to hand solder SMT components at a
workstation before the assemblies are sent on to functional testing.

This video will explain the most common techniques for hand soldering surface mount
components using a soldering iron. We’ll be covering three of the most common SMT
component types – chips, gull wings and J-leads.

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Another category of surface mount devices is area array components – which include ball grid
arrays, land grid arrays and bottom termination components, along with several other package
styles. Area array components require a rework station or special tools for soldering because the
terminations that connect the components to the lands on the circuit board are underneath the
component and cannot be reached with a hand soldering iron.

At this point, let’s review chip, gull wing and J-lead components. Chip components are typically
ceramic, glass or alumina bodied packages with metal connections at either end – called
terminations. These component types typically include resistors, capacitors, diodes and inductors.

Let’s begin with flat, rectangular chip components. These are the most common chip component
style. The metallized terminations on the ends of chip resistors will typically wrap around three
sides of the component; or cover all five sides – as is the case for chip capacitors.

Chip components come in many different sizes. While some of them are relatively large, the trend
is to use smaller components in today's surface mount designs. Their size is described by a four
digit number, for example: 0805. The first two numbers represent the length of the component.
In this case, eighty thousandths of an inch. The last two digits represent the width of the
component, or fifty thousandths of an inch. Some newer chip components are as small as 0201,
or twenty thousandths of an inch by ten thousandths of an inch; and 01005, or ten thousandths of
an inch by five thousandths of an inch. These tiny components are typically soldered by
automated means but can be hand soldered with patience, experience and a good process.

The termination styles for plastic chip component packages also varies considerably. Tantalum
capacitors will often have a wrap-around termination, starting on the outside end and bending
around the bottom of the component forming an L-shaped termination at each end.

Some of the inductors will have terminations that extend out to the end, but are mainly
underneath the component body. Finally, there are some potentiometers that have an L shaped
termination that extends away from the body.

One other style of component that we’ll be discussing is Metal Electrode Leadless Face, or
MELF, cylindrical components. There are capacitors, resistors, filters and diodes in this MELF
style. It can be hard to tell them apart - since there is no universal coloring or component
designators printed on the component bodies.

Now, let’s turn our attention to gull wing components. The gull wing component has a metal lead
that extends from the sides of the component body and bends down and away – similar in
appearance to a seagull’s wing. The anatomy of the lead includes the toe, the foot, the heel and
the knee. An important characteristic of gull wing leads is the lead pitch – or spacing – which is
measured from the center of one lead to the center of the adjacent lead. A wide lead pitch is 26 to
50 mils and fine pitch is 16 to 25 mils. Ultra-fine pitch is a spacing of 15 mils or less. A mil is
one thousandth of an inch – so 15 mils is 15 thousandths of an inch. Examples of gull wing
components are Quad Flat Packs, or QFPs; Small Outline Integrated Circuits, or SOICs; Thin
Small Outline Packages, or TSOPs; Small Outline Transistors, or SOTs; and Diode Packages, or
DPAKs.

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The J-Lead is a metal lead that bends down and underneath a component in the shape of a letter J.
J-leads are less fragile than gull wings and the leads tend to have a wider lead pitch. Examples of
J-lead components are Plastic Leaded Chip Carriers, or PLCCs; and Small Outline J-Leads, or
SOJs.

Our final topic in this introductory section involves the characteristics of the soldering iron tips
and the solder you’ll be using. We’ll start with a review of soldering irons. Today, almost all
production soldering is done with controlled output irons. Controlled output irons strive to
maintain the selected tip temperature during soldering operations - no matter what the load is.
Some controlled output irons operate at a specified temperature rating that is preset by the
manufacturer. Others are temperature variable – using an analog or digital control.

Temperature selection needs to be based on the solder alloy and type of flux used; what
component is being soldered; and the thermal mass of the circuit board. In general, a tip
temperature of 315 degrees C, or about 600 degrees F, is a good starting point for soldering with
a tin-lead alloy. For lead-free alloys, a good starting point is 350 degrees C, or 662 F.
Variations in the alloy, either tin-lead, or lead-free, will require variations to the starting point
temperatures. It’s important to use the same solder alloy that was used during the automated
soldering process for the circuit board assembly.

Selecting a soldering iron tip of the proper shape and size is very important. The amount of heat
that is transferred to the parts being soldered depends not only on the temperature of the tip, but
also on the overall tip geometry and how much the tip touches the component lead or termination.

Thinner, pointed tips, such as the conical tip, are used to transfer heat into a small area. These
tips should be used with small lands and components that need very little solder and have
minimal thermal mass. A chisel tip, such as this one, will transfer more heat, because it is wider
and more of the tip will contact the parts to be soldered. As a general guideline, the width of the
tip contacting the work should be slightly less than the area of the land that’s being soldered.

It’s also important to consider the cleanliness of the lands we’ll be soldering, along with the
thermal mass of the circuit board assembly. Before we begin the soldering process we must
ensure the lands are clean and free of solder. If there is excess solder, it can be removed using a
continuous vacuum extractor or solder braid.

In terms of thermal mass, boards with large ground or voltage planes may require preheating.
Set a target surface temperature of 150 degrees C for lead free assemblies. For tin lead
assemblies, set a target temperature of 100 degrees C.

Installation and Hand Soldering of Chip Components

Let’s start with chip components. Remember, the three basic styles of chip components are rectangular
chips; cylindrical MELFs; and tantalum packages most commonly used for capacitors.

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Let’s take a look at rectangular chips first. Our first soldering demonstration will be on a 1206
chip resistor – one of the larger components for this style of chip. We’ll be using a conical
soldering iron tip and the solder wire will be SAC 305 -- lead free alloy. We start by installing a
conical tip. Tip temperature should be set to about 350 degrees C for the lead free alloy.

The first step is to apply external liquid or paste flux to the land where we’ll be making a solder
prefill – also called a solder bump. External flux should be of the same type contained in the flux
cored solder being used. Now we’ll tin and clean the tip. Then we’ll add enough solder to the
prefill land to create a slight crown shape.

After cleaning the solder prefill, we’ll use flux to clean any oxides from the land and to improve
heat transfer during the soldering operation. Next, we align the component in the correct position
on the lands. Notice that the prefilled land will slightly lift the component off the board.

Now hold the component in the alignment position with a wooden stick or tweezers so the
soldering iron won’t push the component out of alignment. Then apply heat to the prefilled land.
The solder will melt and the component will drop down onto the land. The solder will wick up
onto the termination to form a fillet – based on the amount of available solder from the prefill.
The last step is to remove the soldering iron and wait a few seconds for the solder to solidify
before removing the holding tool. Make sure you do not touch a ceramic capacitor directly with a
soldering iron as this can crack the capacitor from thermal stress.

The size of the flux-cored solder wire is an important consideration when soldering small
components. If the solder wire is too thick, it's easy to melt too much solder into the joint. If the
solder wire is too thin, it can take too long to melt the optimum amount into the joint. In this case
you would have to leave the heat applied longer - which could cause thermal damage to the
board.

Next, after adding flux, we’ll solder the second termination to the land. The tip should contact
both the land and the termination while the solder is added to the opposite joint. Be sure to add
just enough solder to form a proper fillet.

After both sides are soldered and cooled off, the flux residue should be cleaned with the proper
solvent to keep it from hardening – unless no-clean fluxes are being used. In that case, cleaning is
not required. Just be sure to comply with your company's cleaning procedures immediately after
all the installation work on the assembly is completed.

Now, let’s perform the same soldering operation on a 0805 chip – which is a little bit smaller –
using tin lead solder. Remember, tin lead solder has a lower melting temperature than lead free
solder. The recommended setting is 315 degrees C instead of 350 degrees C. Other than
lowering the temperature, the soldering operation is identical to what we observed for the 1206
chip.

Notice that the tin lead solder joints are shinier than the slightly grainy appearance of the lead free
joints. You can refer to IPC-DVD-SMT for surface mount solder joint quality standards.

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As the component size decreases, vision assistance will be required. (PAUSE) And the
microscopic 01005 chip is half the size of a 0201. Refer to the IPC-A-610 for magnification
recommendations. In addition, these smaller chips require thinner conical tips for soldering, but
the technique is pretty much the same. Let’s watch.

Now, let’s turn our attention to MELFs. These cylindrical components have metal terminations
that are larger than those on rectangular chips. Because of that, we’ll be using a chisel tip for
soldering instead of the conical tip. But the soldering procedure is the same one we used for the
chip components.

After applying external liquid flux to one land, we’ll create a solder prefill in a slight crown
shape. Next, align the MELF in the correct position. You’ll need to hold the MELF in position
with a wood stick or tweezers because of the tendency for any cylindrical component to roll off of
the lands. Be sure not to add any downward pressure on the component. With the MELF
properly aligned and held in position, apply heat to the prefilled land. When the solder melts, the
component will drop onto the land as the solder wicks up onto the termination to form a proper
fillet. Then we can solder the second termination to the opposite land.

Our last chip component soldering procedure will be for tantalum capacitors. The tantalum
package comes in four sizes from large to small. Again, we’ll use the same solder prefill
technique to solder this larger size component with a chisel tip. Let’s watch the process. Notice
that when positioning the component you’ll need to verify the polarity is correct. In this example,
the line on the tantalum capacitor will coincide with the dot on the board.

Installation and Hand Soldering of Gull Wing Components

Now let’s take a look at hand soldering gull wing components. Remember, these include QFPs,
SOICs, TSOPs, D-PAKs and SOTs. We’ll start with SOTs, or Small Outline Transistors. SOTs
are the smallest of the gull wing components. SOTs come in various sizes - and lead counts... the
most common being 3 leads.

As with the rectangular chip components, we’ll be using the single land prefill soldering method
with a conical tip. Again, we create a prefill with a slight crown shape; clean the flux residue;
and add more external liquid flux to the prefill. Then we align the SOT to the lands, hold it in
place with a wooden stick or tweezers and apply heat to the prefill. Once the fillet forms and
solidifies, we can solder the two remaining leads. At this point, we’ll clean the flux residue and
inspect the solder joints.

Now, let’s examine the steps for hand soldering a D-PAK. First, we apply external liquid flux to
the ground termination land on the board. Next, we’ll flow solder onto the ground termination –
forming a solder prefill, or solder bump. After cleaning the flux residue, we’ll need to apply
more external liquid flux to the ground termination solder bump. Then we’ll position the D-PAK
component in alignment with the lands on the board. The ground termination of the device will
be slightly raised since it is resting on the solder bump.

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Next, we’ll use a wooden stick or tweezers to hold the D-PAK in place – being sure not to apply
downward pressure on the component. Now, lay the tip of the iron across the width of the land
on the edge of the component. This will cause the solder bump to melt. At that point, the gentle
touch of the holding device will help settle the ground termination of the D-PAK against the land.
The final step is to remove the soldering iron and wait a few seconds for the solder to solidify
before removing the holding tool. Now we can solder the remaining gull wing leads – using
conventional hand soldering techniques.

Next, we’ll explain how to solder the most common multi-leaded devices – SOICs and QFPs.
The SOIC has leads on two sides and the QFP has leads on all four sides. There are two methods
of soldering these multi-leaded components – point-to-point, or one lead at a time; and wave or
drag soldering. We’ll start by demonstrating point-to-point soldering on an SOIC.

We begin by selecting a tip for the soldering iron. Tip selection will be based on the width of the
component leads. If a wider chisel will fit, it will transfer heat faster than a thinner conical tip.
The selection of the solder wire will also depend on the width of the leads. Thinner solder wire
will work better with fine pitch leads.

You can usually position an SOIC component onto the lands without the aid of a microscope.
Just make sure that all of the leads are centered evenly - from side to side, and that pin 1 is
located on the proper land. You also need to make sure that the heel and toe of each lead is
centered evenly in the lengthwise direction.

Now we're ready to tack the component in position. Again, we’ll gently hold the component in
place with tweezers or a wooden stick - so that it doesn't move when you tack one of the corners.
By adding a drop of flux before you tack the lead... you'll be able to see the solder turn shiny.
This will provide a visual verification that the lead is tacked. If you touch a small soldering iron
tip right where the toe of the lead sits on the land... you can usually melt enough existing solder to
tack the component in position. An optional method involves adding a very small amount of
solder to the tip, and then touching the tip to the junction between the land and the lead.

Now is a good time to check the alignment of both rows of leads - before you tack the other side.
Remember that it's not going to get any better than it is right now. If you need to reposition the
component – you can reflow the tacked joint with your soldering iron - and lift off the component
with tweezers. Now remove the solder from the tack land - so that the component doesn't sit up
off the land when it's replaced on the lands.

Once again, we realign the component, and tack the first corner, double check the alignment, and
then tack the opposite corner. Now we're ready for the soldering process. It's usually a good idea
to add a compatible type of external flux - even though there may already be some flux in the
solder wire. Additional liquid flux will improve the solderability.

The tip should rest flush against the top of the lead. Now contact the lead and the land with the
solder wire - away from the tip. This will allow the flux to clean the connection - instead of
burning away on the tip of the iron. You don't want to press on gull wing leads or lands. Even
light pressure can bend or skew the lead out of position - or damage the land.

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You’ll need to use a light touch when soldering. You can proceed from one joint to the next -
rather than skipping leads to avoid heat buildup in the board. There is much less heat being
applied to a surface mount board - since there is no need to heat the solder on both sides of a
plated through hole. Just keep working your way around - until all of the joints are soldered.
Unless you are using a no clean flux, it's a good idea to clean the flux residue. Your company will
provide you with a compatible cleaning solution. A brush can access between the leads and
around the component - but you do need to be careful not to bend the leads with excessive force.

Drag, or wave soldering makes the installation process much faster and more efficient. A single
sided chisel tip -- or angled wave style tip – can be used to melt solder into a whole row of
connections in one continuous motion. Let’s take a detailed look at the drag soldering technique
using a QFP. The easiest and safest way to pick up and position the larger multi-leaded
components is with a vacuum pickup tool. Position the suction cup in the center of the component
- and activate the vacuum.

We’ll start by aligning the part to ensure that all the leads are centered on the lands and make sure
the polarity is correct. Then we tack two diagonally opposite corner leads. After the leads have
been tacked, it’s important to inspect the alignment in case it shifted during the tack operation.
Then select a corner that was not tacked and apply liquid or paste flux to that row of leads. Flux
is critical for the drag soldering operation because it reduces the surface tension of the solder –
which reduces the chance of solder shorts.

Now we're ready to prepare the tip. First make sure that the tip is properly cleaned. Next, we'll
need to add some fresh solder to the tip. Then position the tip against the first solder joint -- on
one of the corners that is not tacked. When you have two corners tacked, it’s critical that you
don’t start the soldering operation on one of the tacked connections because the position of the
component may shift. As the tip moves from one joint to the next, the required amount of solder
will transfer from the tip to the leads – if you move at the right speed. You should be able to
watch each connection form as you proceed. When you come to the end of the row, just keep
moving the tip past the final lead in a continuous motion. It is important that you apply very little
or no downward pressure onto the component leads as too much may cause the leads to bend and
misalign with the lands. If you stop the movement of the tip at the end of the row, you may end
up with too much solder on the final lead - or more likely a solder bridge will occur. Then we
repeat this operation for the remaining rows of leads.

Drag soldering tends to be more challenging with a lead free alloy due to the higher melting
temperatures which shortens the lifespan of the externally applied fluxes. There’s a tendency to
create solder bridges due to the increased surface tension of the solder. By adjusting our
technique, we can reduce the possibility of bridging. It’s best to place the soldering iron tip out at
the toes of the gull wing leads – when you perform a lead free drag soldering operation. Notice
that the ball of solder on the tip should contact the lead and land – while we try to avoid any
direct physical contact between the leads and the soldering iron tip. Make sure you’re not too
heavy handed or the tip may pull and bend the leads – or can actually remove a land.

If you do create a solder bridge anywhere along the row of leads, you can just stop and reflux the
bridge. Then clean off any solder from the tip onto a damp sponge. Now, reposition the tip on

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the bridge – and remove the excess solder by pulling the soldering iron away from the
component.

Installation and Hand Soldering of J-Lead Components

This final section will cover J-lead components. Like the multi-lead gull wing components, J-
lead components can also be soldered one lead at a time, or you can use the faster drag, or wave
soldering method. Let’s watch point-to-point soldering on a PLCC component.

We need to make sure that the component is perfectly aligned to the lands on the board. We want
all of the leads to be centered over the lands - front to back - and side to side, with pin 1 in the
proper position. These components can generally be aligned by eye - by looking straight down
from the top. Before we start soldering, we should check to make sure that the tip temperature is
somewhere around 315 degrees C for tin lead and 350 degrees C for lead free. We'll be using an
appropriately sized chisel tip for this soldering operation.

Start by adding a little bit of solder to the tip, then touch the tip to one of the corner joints - while
holding the component in alignment. After this first joint is tacked, repeat this same process on
the opposite corner joint. With two corners tacked down, the component will be held in position.

After applying external flux, we're ready to begin soldering - on any of the non-tacked leads.
First touch the tip to the junction of the land and lead. Then touch the solder wire to this junction
to start the solder melt... and form the required fillet. A J-lead connection will require much more
solder than a gull wing joint. A target J-lead solder joint will have a good fillet on both the heel
and the toe of the connection. This is an indication of proper wetting. Hand soldering each
individual lead can be a tedious operation - which most people would rather avoid. That’s why
we’ll use the faster drag soldering method on another PLCC.

Just like we did for gull wings, we’ll be using a wave style tip that allows us to solder a whole
row of connections in one continuous motion. Again, we’ll start with aligning the PLCC to the
lands on the circuit board. The position of pin number one should always match the
corresponding land on the board, and all of the leads should be centered over each of the lands.
After two opposite corners are tacked, we’ll add external flux to the leads. Flux will help to keep
the solder from bridging between the leads.

At this point, we're ready to prepare the tip. First make sure that the tip is properly cleaned.
Then add some fresh solder to the tip. Next, we’ll position the tip against the first solder joint. As
the tip moves from one joint to the next, the required amount of solder will transfer from the tip to
the leads - if you move at the right speed. You should be able to watch each connection form as
you proceed. When you come to the end of the row, just keep moving the tip past the final lead in
a continuous motion. The last steps are to clean the flux residue – and visually inspect the solder
connections.

Now, let’s perform the same process using a flat blade style tip. The flat blade tip is designed for
J-Lead components -- and the process is generally the same as drag soldering. The component is
tacked in place – and the final alignment is checked. Flux is added to the leads and lands prior to

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beginning the process. The blade tip is cleaned on a sponge. Then solder is added to both sides
of the tip.

Positioning of the tip is critical with this procedure. It must be angled so that multiple leads are in
contact with the tip at the same time, and so that the edge of the tip is at the junction of the lead
and land. Once the positioning of the tip is correct, the process is the same as drag soldering with
the wave style tip.

This program has presented the most common practices for soldering surface mount components
-- with a hand soldering iron. You were introduced to the three component families – chips, gull
wings and J-leads. The methods shown for each component are universal throughout the family –
meaning that the solder prefill method is used for all chip components – including rectangular
chips, MELFs and tantalum packages. Each individual will determine which technique works
best for them. With practice you will perfect these techniques and become a highly skilled solder
technician.