ANA TRADING has introduced an innovative lead-free cored solder wire manufactured by Nihon Almit., Co Ltd. that can triple the lifetime of soldering-iron tips, saving replacement costs and reducing down-time to raise productivity against standard lead-free alloys.

Combined with high soldering temperatures, the high tin content of ordinary lead-free solders accelerates iron (Fe)-leaching from hand-soldering or robotic-soldering tips. Trials show that replacement rates can be 300 percent higher compared to soldering with market standard lead-free solder alloys, raising costs and incurring unwanted down-time.

To overcome this challenge, ANA offers Almit’s anti tip-erosion cored solder wire, LFM-48M. This innovative alloy contains additional trace elements that offset tin activity and inhibit oxidation, reducing iron leaching to maintain tip condition for longer. This not only cuts the replacement rate for each soldering tip on the production line but also allows consistent soldering accuracy for greater end-of-line yield and reduced rework.

Low tip erosion after 20,000 cycles with Almit LFM-48M solder    High tip erosion after 20,000 cycles with conventional Pb-free solder

Testing through more than 20,000 robotic-soldering cycles has shown that the tip-replacement rate can be approximately halved, simply by replacing standard lead-free solder wire with Almit LFM-48M anti tip-erosion solder.

“This innovative solder addresses a genuine need in the market,” says David Gates, at ANA TRADING. “With soldering temperature almost identical to that of ordinary lead-free alloy, and conventional flux chemistry, changing over is easy and requires minimal process adjustment.”

The LFM-48M cored solder wire is available with standard Almit SR-LA or SR-37 flux. It exhibits comparable solderability to ordinary lead-free solders, ensuring equivalent joint strength and reliability proven by heat-shock tests and high-temperature/high-humidity shelf tests.

ANA Trading will exhibit Almit’s LFM-48M Anti Tip-Erosion Cored Solder Wire on Booth #3301at APEX Expo, San Diego, from 29 to 31 January 2019.