Solder – Harry & Co Jewellery

Composition and Types of Solder

Solder is composed of tin and lead, with tin concentrations ranging from 5% to 70%.
Lead mitigates tin whisker formation.
Common alloys for electrical soldering include 60/40Sn-Pb and 63/37Sn-Pb.
Lead-free solders may contain tin, copper, silver, bismuth, indium, zinc, antimony, and traces of other metals.
Lead-based solder is commonly used in electrical and electronic work, while lead-free solder is increasing in use due to regulatory requirements and health/environmental benefits.

Lead-free solder is used in most consumer electronics sold in the EU and has a broad effect worldwide.
Two-thirds of Japanese manufacturers use tin-silver-copper (Sn-Ag-Cu) solders.
Sn-Ag-Cu solder has a reduced melting point compared to other alloys.
Sn-Ag-Cu solder is widely used by Japanese manufacturers for reflow and wave soldering, as well as hand soldering.
Researchers are exploring the addition of a fourth element to Sn-Ag-Cu solder for compatibility with solder sphere reflow.

Soft solder is commonly used in electronics, plumbing, and sheet metal work.
Hard solder, or brazing, is performed using alloys with a melting point above 450°C.
Solder wire and bars are used for hand-soldering, while jewelers use solder in thin sheets.
Enameling solder has a high melting point to prevent joint desoldering during firing.
Different hardness levels of solder are used in decreasing order during the manufacturing process.

Corrosion of solder pots leads to increased dross formation.
Impurities in solder include aluminum, antimony, arsenic, copper, and others.
Flux is a reducing agent used to improve electrical connection and mechanical strength.
Different types of flux, such as acid flux and rosin flux, are used in various applications.
Flux-core solder contains embedded flux that is released as the solder melts onto the joint.

Intermetallic compounds are formed during solidifying of solders and their reactions with soldered surfaces.
Intermetallics can cause mechanical reliability weakening and brittleness.
Processes in solder joint formation involve the interaction between the substrate and molten solder, as well as solid-state growth of intermetallic compounds.
Examples of interactions include gold and palladium dissolving in solders, and copper and nickel forming intermetallic layers.
Different types of intermetallic compounds, such as Cu3Sn and Cu6Sn5, can form on solder-copper interfaces.

Reference	URL
Glossary	https://harryandcojewellery.com.au/blogs/glossary/solder
Wikipedia	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder
Wikidata	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q866612
Knowledge Graph	https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/075cc