Brighteners and Solder Failure
A customer claims that brightener and grain refiner concentrations in a plating bath will affect the solderability of the plated surface.
Q. A customer claims that brightener and grain refiner concentrations in a plating bath will affect the solderability of the plated surface. In our case, we are talking about nickel deposited from a nickel sulfamate bath. W.N.
A. The most important factor concerning solderability of nickel is oxidation of the nickel surface. Nickel surfaces oxidize (passivate) fairly readily. The amount of oxidation increases the longer the delay between the nickel plating step and the soldering process. The greater the amount of oxidation, the more difficult to solder.
If you have your brightener and grain refiner under control, there shouldn’t be any affect on solderability. However, there is no reason why a nickel sulfamate has to be run with organic additives unless a bright appearance is required. Other factors may also be at play here. Rinsing methods, handling and storage methods, and even weather conditions can affect the solderability of the nickel plate.
Related Content
-
Advantages to Pumped Eductor Agitation
Not all agitation methods are created equally. Pumped agitation with eductor nozzles can improve process tanks and quickly show a reduction in operating costs while keeping staff safe, following environmental legislation and preventing pollution.
-
How to Choose Between Sulfate and Chloride-Based Trivalent Chromium
There are several factors to consider when choosing between sulfate and chloride-based baths for trivalent chromium plating. Mark Schario of Columbia Chemical discusses the differences and what platers should keep in mind when evaluating options.
-
An Overview of Electroless Nickel Plating
By definition, electroless plating is metal deposition by a controlled chemical reaction.
