Soldering is a special type of welding process that joins two or more parts of metals together. It does so by melting solder. The solder is a metal alloy made of lead and tin, which is melted by the automatic soldering machine. Ideally, the machine produces temperatures above 500 degrees Fahrenheit which melt the solder and then cools to create a permanent bond. The bond created is a good conductor of electricity. This explains why this machine is used in joining electrical components. There are also desoldering tools for removing electrical joints created by solder. Before you purchase an automatic soldering machine, you need to know the following things.
Types of Soldering
Before choosing your soldering machine, you need to know the type of soldering it can perform. Soldering processes are classified based on the temperatures required.
Soft Soldering
Soft soldering is a process that uses filler metals with lower melting points. In most cases, these filler metals are alloys that contain lead and can be melted at temperatures below 400 degrees Celsius. Since low temperatures are used in this process, it is not possible to create strong joints. Thus, this method is not suited for mechanical and industrial load-bearing applications. In addition, it is not recommended for high-temperature use as the type of solder melts and loses strength.
Hard Soldering
This type of soldering uses silver or brass as the joining metal. For this type of soldering, your metal needs a blowtorch to achieve the required temperatures. This process is usually done at over 450 degrees Celsius.
Brazing
In this case, the solder is a metal with a higher melting point as compared to those used in soft and hard soldering. Just like hard soldering, the solder is heated instead of having it melted. After heating the materials sufficiently, you can have the solder between the materials. The solder will melt and create a bond.
Why Automatic Soldering Machine?
Although manual soldering machines are widely used, it is challenging to have them in an automated assembly line. Thus, if your manufacturing processes require intensive work, speed, high efficiency, and precision, you can only achieve this with a machine. The major types of automatic soldering machines are wave, selective, drag, and dip.
Wave soldering machine is the most commonly used because provides consistent performance. These machines work by applying the flux, pre-heating the flux, and then applying solder paste. When choosing an automatic soldering machine, there are different things you should pay attention to. For instance, you need to think about the available space where you will install the machine and the size of the products you manufacture.
Conclusion
Larger automatic soldering machines are known to provide a lot of flexibility to the assembly line. This is because these machines handle a range of product sizes and they can work simultaneously to increase efficiency and productivity. When choosing your industrial soldering machine, make sure you consider the availability of space and size of your products. Also, you need to consider the price, efficiency, and productivity of the machine.
