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US 4,467,638 AGranted
Method and apparatus for quantitatively evaluating the soldering properties of a wave soldering system
AssigneeRCA Corporation
InventorBernard Greenstein
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRCA Corporation
InventorBernard Greenstein
Estimating the term…
It has been found that the soldering properties of a wave soldering system can be quantitatively determined by measuring the wickability of the molten solder of the solder bath beyond the areas of direct immersion into the molten solder bath of a solder wave. The test is conducted by providing a test board having a pair of parallel strips of a solderable material such as copper. One of the parallel strips is formed in a continuous length. The other of the parallel strips is formed with discontinuity in the solderable material at regularly predetermined intervals along the length thereof. When conducting the test method of this invention, the test board is partially immersed into the solder wave in the same manner as a printed circuit board assembly, with the parallel strip being in alignment with the machine direction of the wave soldering apparatus. The test board is then removed from the solder wave. The point of maximum direct contact with the solder of the wave is determined from the discontinuous strip. The wickability on the other hand is determined by measuring the distance of the solder flow along the continuous strip from the point of immersion in the solder bath as indicated on the discontinuous strip. The length of travel of the solder on the continuous strip beyond the point of immersion into the molten solder pool is a direct quantitative measurement of the wickability which is directly related to the solderability of the wave soldering system.
A method for quantitatively evaluating the soldering properties of a soldering system which includes a molten solder wave for use in the soldering of a printed circuit board assembly having solderable circuitry, said method comprising;
A test board for use in evaluating the soldering properties of a soldering system which includes a molten solder wave of a given width, said test board being comprised of a substrate having a length and a width having formed on the surface thereof a test pattern in the lengthwise direction comprised of first and second spaced apart parallel strips of a solderable metal, said first strip being continuous in length and said second strip being discontinuous in length and having spaced alternate solderable and nonsolderable areas with the distance between the solderable areas being at least sufficient to prevent bridging of molten solder from a solderable area contacted with the molten solder of the solder wave to the next adjacent solderable area which is not contacted with molten solder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.