Amol,

In a prior life (or two), I tried soldering SnBi with hand soldering and
reflow soldering. My impression was that it did not wet well, despite
the lower melting point. At that time, if I had to select a Lead Free
Solder, I would not go with SnBi. 

However, that was several years ago and I have not tried it since then.
Assuming that the solder manufacturers increased the flux activity
since, I would consider it for non aerospace applications where I have
heard that it has been used successfully. Otherwise, I would not use it
for high reliability or aerospace applications, IMHO.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck.

Lee Whiteman, PMP
Senior Member Engineering Staff
L-3 Communications East
Telephone: (856) 338-3508
FAX: (856) 338-2906
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
 
-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kane, Amol (349)
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 11:57 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [TN] Sn-Bi Alloy for soldering

Does anybody have any experience with Sn-Bi alloy used for soldering
lead-free boards? I am looking at literature available out there and see
Sn-Bi used as a surface finish for components, but I have not yet found
a reference where it is used for soldering.

Looking for pros/cons, good/bad experiences and things to look out for
during soldering.

The application is all SMT, with a temp sensitive part. The manufacturer
therefore wants to use Sn-Bi alloy as this is a lower melting point
alloy

Regards,
Amol





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