Q & A

Why consider selective soldering?

Many of today's printed circuit boards are predominantly SMT; however there is often interconnect hardware, displays or other components that cannot be subjected to the oven temperatures. These components are generally soldered either by wave or by hand. 

To successfully solder these mixed technology boards on conventional wave solder equipment, costly custom-made protective pallets must be used usually with significant lead-time penalties. Even with the protective pallets SMT chips often "float" or wash away.  

Additionally, the entire board is once again subjected to thermal cycling often to the detriment of sensitive components that must be protected from elevated temperatures. The KISS machines will precisely solder only the components necessary without disturbing nearby SMT chips as close as 2mm.

The looming change to Lead Free Solder as part of the required RoHS compliance has many board assemblers faced with having to spend upwards of $100K for new lead free compatible wave solder equipment and often additional money for a high capacity nitrogen installation.  Multiple RoHS compatible KISS systems can be installed for less than the price of most new wave solder machines.

What is the KISS 101?

The KISS-101 is an elegantly simple tabletop machine that uses a lead free capable mini pot with a 30 lb capacity. The solder pot and pump assembly can be changed in minutes allowing the user to maintain a leaded and unleaded pot. 

How does KISS work?

The mini wave pump is fitted with quick-change nozzles. These nozzles can create a solder fountain that can range from a small bullet shape of 1.5mm for pinpoint applications of single rows of pins to a 3" wide swath that can solder large devices or multiple pin rows in a single pass. There is a wide selection of standard nozzles and custom nozzle can be designed for special applications.

As the KISS implies, this Keep It Simple Soldering system is intended for use by anyone familiar with soldering processes. There is no software language to learn, no unique nozzles specific to individual components, no complex robotics, and no learning curve.

Innovative fixturing, simple analog controls and an integral laser pointer allow an operator to set up a typical job in a matter of a few minutes.  Visibility to the actual solder operation is unrestricted eliminating any trial and error in the setup. 

Why go with KISS?

With the current price of lead free alloys, the cost of initially filling a solder pot on a conventional wave soldering machine could exceed the sale price of a KISS-101 selective soldering system.

The KISS-102 maintains the attractive "low cost, benchtop" appeal while providing the speed, flexibility, and accuracy to replace the wave solder operation on boards with a significant number of components. PCBs with hundreds of points to be soldered can be processed automatically in a matter of minutes with repeatable results. 

This system provides the flexibility to individually tailor all the necessary parameters. The fountain position, preheat time, traverse speed, and wave height can all be varied uniquely for each device allowing the user to handle the variations of thermal mass caused by ground planes, heat sinks, and large components while still protecting thermally sensitive devices.

Typically the transition to lead free soldering brings an increase in solder shorts and bridging.  The KISS soldering systems uses innovative nozzle designs that virtually eliminate this tendency in a fashion that would be impossible with wave soldering.  The KISS solder pots are fully lead free compatible and the adjustable preheat times and travel speeds allow the user to tailor the process to virtually any flux chemistry or thermal load situation.

For additional information or questions, Contact Us.