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February 10, 2012
Solderability Problems at Low Humidity
Board Talk
Solder Deposits During Wave Soldering
Ask the Experts
Design of New Solder Attach Technologies
Materials Tech
Problems Hand Soldering 24 Layer Board
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Nitrogen Inerting For Lead-Free Wave Soldering
Production Floor
Problems With Wave Solder Lead Bridging
Board Talk
Wave Soldering Problems
Ask the Experts
Hand Soldering vs. Selective Wave
Ask the Experts
Problems with Blow Holes
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BGA Processing for Reliability
Production Floor
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What Causes Exploding Solder Joints?
What Causes Exploding Solder Joints?
We have seen joint voids that look like "explosions" after wave soldering. Is the cause likely due to moisture absorbtion?
This program first published October 2009
Board Talk programs are presented by:

Phil Zarrow
Phil Zarrow, ITM Consulting
With over 35 years experience in PCB assembly, Phil is one of the leading experts in SMT process failure analysis. He has vast experience in SMT equipment, materials and processes.

Jim Hall
Jim Hall, ITM Consulting
A Lean Six-Sigma Master Blackbelt, Jim has a wealth of knowledge in soldering, thermal technology, equipment and process basics. He is a pioneer in the science of reflow.
Comments  »
Use the form below to submit a comment.
Infrequently we see "blisters" (delamination) on a board around certain components after selective soldering. The location of the blisters is not always at the same locations. We tried reducing solder temperature to minimum, but the problem persists and still happens. What could be the root cause of our problem?

Kartick Kudtarkar, H. L. Electronics
I have to agree with M.H. and add that not only will voids cause the problem but you have to consider thin plating as well. A lot of the offshore boards are coming with plating in the hole less than 0.7 mill-inches. The thin copper in the hole acts like a weak walled pressure vessel and cannot resist the pressure build up from any trapped moisture during the solder process. The weak wall ruptures under pressure and you get a blow hole. If you push the average plating thickness to 1 milli-inch in the hole the problem goes away.

R.K., ICM Controls
Most likely the plating in the through holes is not continuous and has voids. When these non-plated laminate areas inside the holes see soldering temperatures, the moisture in the laminate vaporizes resulting in "blow holes" in the solder.

A simple micro-section of a hole with a blow hole can be used to conform.


Mike Hill, Colonial Circuits Inc., USA
Hi Phil and Jim. We've been sitting here in the UK listening to a few of your shows, and we'd like to point out that your pronunciation of the word "solder" sounds an awful lot like "soder." Thanks for the shows!


Arthur
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What Causes Exploding Solder Joints?

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