What Is a Spray Fluxer?
A spray fluxer is a device used in automated soldering equipment to apply flux, an accelerator that enhances solder spread during the soldering process. This process is crucial for the quality of electronic components and circuit boards.
With the advent of automated soldering equipment, the use of spray fluxers has become integral for achieving high precision and efficiency in flux application, significantly reducing labor costs and improving productivity.
Uses of Spray Fluxers
Spray fluxers are employed alongside automated soldering equipment to enhance soldering quality. While solder containing flux is available, the flux tends to evaporate near the solder’s melting point. Since the solder bath in automated equipment is maintained at high temperatures, using solder with integrated flux is impractical. Instead, flux is precisely applied using a spray fluxer.
Principle of Spray Fluxers
Spray fluxers apply flux to clean the board surface of foreign matter and oxide films, reducing surface tension and enabling the molten solder to spread thinly. Flux, primarily composed of pine resin (rosin) with additives like zinc chloride or ammonium chloride, activates around 338°F (170°C), aiding in the removal of copper oxides.
Types of Spray Fluxers
There are two main application methods for spray fluxers: foaming and spraying.
Foaming Method
The foaming method immerses the substrate in foamed flux, ensuring a substantial flux application. However, it requires a significant amount of flux and solvent, making it costlier.
Spray Method
The spray method atomizes flux for a thin, even application, reducing waste by using flux only as needed. Due to its cost-effectiveness and convenience, it’s the preferred method in many fluxers.
Other Information on Spray Fluxers
Application Amount
The application amount of spray fluxers varies by manufacturer, significantly impacting solder quality. The spray method minimizes waste, making it ideal for applying pre-flux on the solder flow surface to enhance adhesion in the solder bath.
Technological Innovation Issues
Spray fluxers face challenges in ensuring even application, control linearity, and repeatability stability. Manufacturers conduct extensive testing to meet these conditions, which remains a significant technological challenge in electronic board mounting.
Structure
A spray fluxer consists of a nozzle and sprayer, atomizing and applying flux uniformly across the substrate. Regular cleaning is required, but it offers uniform application and easy control of film thickness, making the spray type superior in quality.