Difference between wave soldering and selective wave soldering

Wave soldering is a global soldering technique. During the soldering process, the entire board is immersed in molten solder, which is uniformly applied to the component pins to be soldered by the impact and wettability of the solder wave. This method is suitable for high-volume, high-density circuit board soldering, and its high soldering efficiency can meet the needs of rapid production.

The use of wave soldering scenarios:

High-volume production: ordinary wave soldering is suitable for the need for rapid, continuous soldering of a large number of circuit boards in the scene. Since it can weld multiple connections at the same time, it can provide high welding speed and efficiency in mass production.

Low cost: The relatively simple and low cost equipment of normal wave soldering makes it suitable for situations with limited budgets.

Simple Board Designs: For boards with simple designs that do not require high precision soldering, general wave soldering can meet the needs.

Selective wave soldering

Selective wave soldering is a localised soldering technique, which forms a wave crest in a specific area to solder only the component pins that need to be soldered. This soldering method is highly flexible and precise, and enables efficient soldering of single or a small number of components, which is particularly suitable for high-mix, low-volume production of circuit boards. Selective wave soldering can only apply solder to the area to be connected without damaging the original electronic components, which can effectively avoid the thermal impact on the surrounding components and improve the quality and reliability of the soldering.

Selective wave soldering usage scenarios:

High-precision soldering needs: Selective wave soldering can precisely adjust the soldering temperature, time and flow rate and other parameters of each soldering joint according to the requirements of the soldering object, so as to achieve high-precision soldering.

Area-specific welding: Selective wave soldering is suitable for the need to weld specific areas, such as complex components or parts that require high-precision welding.

Small batch production and component-specific welding: Selective wave soldering is more suitable for small batch production and component-specific welding, such as repair and assembly of circuit boards.

Material savings: Selective wave soldering saves the use of flux and solder because only the soldered area comes into contact with the solder.

Reduced dross and ionic contamination improves the cleanliness of the circuit board.

Avoid Thermal Shock: Selective wave soldering does not cause thermal shock to the entire board, avoiding defects that may be caused by thermal shock.

Comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of wave soldering and selective wave soldering:

The advantages of selective wave soldering are its high degree of flexibility and precision, as well as its low thermal impact on surrounding components. This gives it a significant advantage when working with complex boards and demanding components. However, selective wave soldering has relatively high equipment and maintenance costs and relatively slow soldering speeds, which somewhat limits its use in mass production.

The advantages of wave soldering lie in its high efficiency and high through-hole fill rate, which are particularly suitable for high-volume, high-density circuit board production. In addition, wave soldering has relatively low equipment and maintenance costs, giving it an advantage in cost control. However, wave soldering is prone to thermal effects on surrounding components during the soldering process, as well as insufficient flexibility in soldering complex circuit boards. These problems have affected the application of wave soldering in high-end fields to a certain extent.