Solder flux is an active substance commonly used in electronic circuit soldering. So, what is solder flux? What is its composition? Is solder flux toxic? Let’s explore more about this substance in the article below with Hapoin!
What is Solder Flux?
Solder flux is a chemical primarily composed of a mixture of rosin, which aids in making tin soldering easier, resulting in clean, shiny, and high-quality solder joints. The product of solder flux mainly exists in liquid and paste forms. In its solid form, it is essentially rosin. When used for soldering in the production of electronic circuit boards, liquid flux is employed. For circuit board repairs, flux paste is used.
The main difference between these two types of flux lies in their mechanical properties. Flux in paste form does not spread to unnecessary areas, keeping components from shifting. Therefore, it is used for repair purposes and reballing BGA chips.
Tamura ULF-37 Solder Flux – Tin Solder Flux
Structural composition of solder flux
Mainly used in the soldering process, what is the composition of solder flux? This type of substance has the main ingredients of acid radicals or resin mixture, specifically:
- H2O: Water accounts for >65%
NH4Cl: Ammonium Chloride has a content of 18 – 20%
ZnCI2: Zinc Chloride with a content of 8 – 10%
Heat resistance enhancer accounts for 2.5%
Cleansing enhancer accounts for 2.5%
Solder flux or solder flux is currently divided into 3 main types: water-based flux (water based, VOC Free), alcohol-based flux (alcohol based, VOC) and amphoteric flux (low, VOC). Each type will have different characteristics, specifically as follows:
- Water-based Flux (water based, VOC Free): Does not burn at room temperature, does not smell of alcohol and has low volatility, suitable for dip welding, spot welding or new technology welding.
Alcohol based Flux (alcohol based, VOC): Flammable, flammable, has an alcohol smell and is volatile at room temperature, this type is not suitable for manual soldering.
Amphoteric Flux (low, VOC): Combines properties of both water-based and alcohol-based types/
Currently, water-based fluxes are gradually replacing alcohol-based fluxes, but the cost of water-based fluxes is more expensive and not as easy to manufacture as alcohol-based fluxes. However, with the development of increasingly modern technology and increasingly higher living environment standards, the choice of water-based flux will increasingly be given priority.
Soldering flux comes in two types: clear and yellow. Flux is yellow due to the high proportion of resin, which causes a lot of flux residue left after welding. When visually observed, you can see the yellow color of the flux remaining on the circuit board after soldering. If there is a lot of this residue, it shows that the quality of the flux is still poor. This will lead to many quality consequences later such as high surface contact resistance (causing power loss, static electricity,…), slightly sticky circuit board (steam, dust,…) , flux residues must be cleaned before applying insulating or moisture-proof coatings, etc. Therefore, clear colored flux will bring much higher aesthetics. Although the price is more expensive, the circuit board quality is superior, equipment maintenance costs are also lower and it is environmentally friendly.
TAMURA NHF-01 halogen-free soldering flux is safe for health\
What is the effect of solder flux?
Soldering flux has many uses in soldering electronic circuits, including:
- Cleans and helps remove rust on component surfaces
- Anti-oxidation, limits rust on component surfaces
- Creates a beautiful shine for the weld
- Reduces joint surface tension, increases uniformity, minimizes the amount of zinc slag and supports zinc adhesion thanks to the film created by the flux.
Is soldering flux toxic?
The question of whether soldering flux is toxic is certainly a question that many people are interested in. Above we have learned about the composition table of solder flux. It can be seen that solder flux is made up of many different active ingredients mixed in certain proportions. These active ingredients will have different uses such as preventing corrosion, cleaning, protecting metal surfaces, etc. Being chemicals, they are always toxic if accidentally swallowed or splashed. eye. However, if you comply with labor safety regulations and equip necessary protective equipment, the use of solder flux does not pose a danger to human health.
Soldering flux is often used in soldering electronic components, so it produces smoke and odor. This smoke is of course toxic if inhaled. That’s why factories need to treat this smoke by installing air filtration and smoke extraction systems. Besides, it is necessary to choose soldering flux that does not contain halogen ingredients to minimize harmful gases.
Is flux flux toxic when used frequently (Photo: Internet)
Where to buy genuine and quality operating aids?
Looking for the answer to the question above about what is a solder flux, we can see that if you want to have a beautiful, shiny joint, you need a solder flux. However, what is needed here is genuine solder flux and quality standards to have the desired welding results. Understanding that, businesses today want to find a reputable source of solder flux products at good prices.
If you still haven’t found a satisfactory supplier, you can come to Hapoin Vietnam. We are a reputable supplier of electronic materials and chemicals to many large and small businesses in Vietnam for many years. All products provided by Hapoin Vietnam come with full invoices and documents proving their origin. Hapoin sources goods directly from the factory, so it always ensures product quality when delivered to customers.
You can refer to solder flux products distributed by Hapoin Vietnam here.
Conclude
Question: What is solder flux? Is flux solder toxic and the composition of the flux has been explained in detail in the article above. Hopefully, this information is useful to readers. If you need to learn more information about solder fluxes, please contact Hapoin Vietnam immediately for specific advice!
Jasmine Wu – Hapoin
