Excellent Drainage Properties of SN100C Confirmed in “Icicle” Test
Nihon Superior is proposing that its “Icicle Test” is one of the criteria electronics manufacturers should consider using as they struggle to find a basis for choosing between the various lead-free solders being offered for wave soldering.
The test involves the measurement of the length of the icicle left when a fluxed copper ring is immersed and then withdrawn from the molten solder. The length of the icicle left after this procedure has been completed is a measure of the ease with which excess solder can drain off a joint into the solder. Excess solder left on a joint as it exits the solder wave is the cause of bridging (shorts) as well as icicles, which slow production by necessitating expensive touch-ups.
When tested this way, Nihon Superior’s SN100C lead-free solder demonstrates a clear advantage. The icicle length of the Sn-Cu-Ni alloy is less than half that of other lead-free solders because of the beneficial effects of the Ni on fluidity and Ge on surface tension. Details of the test method are described below.
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- Excellent Drainage Properties of SN100C Confirmed in “Icicle” Test 7th November 2011
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