Dip soldering is commonly used in the production of circuit boards.
Dip welding is a manufacturing process in which a technician dips objects into a pool of molten solder to secure the parts. The most common application of this technique is in the production of circuit boards, where it can be a fast and efficient method. The heat from welding can potentially damage parts of the project, and the technician must ensure that all components can withstand the heat before submerging; normally the design is all metal to avoid this problem.
With circuit board production, solder will adhere to exposed metal components and will not adhere to areas of bare metal or areas treated with a chemical to resist solder. Dip welding can be a manual operation, with a technician personally dipping the product, and it can also be partially automated. A machine can grab the circuit board, dip it at the correct angle, and hold it in the solder for the correct amount of time before pulling it out.
The dip soldering process is similar to wave soldering, a mass production process that people use to make chips. With wave soldering, everything is automated and the chips pass under a constant flow of molten solder material instead of being submerged. Implementing this process costs more money and allows people to produce more designs per day, making it suitable for large-scale installations where people need to reduce manufacturing time.
For small-scale welding, dip welding can be a useful technique. People don’t need a lot of equipment to put it together, just a container big enough to submerge the projects, with the right tools to melt the solder to make it usable. Many companies make the necessary supplies, and individuals can make their own as well. For automated setups, slightly larger investments are required to purchase a machine capable of handling the process.
People can learn this and other skills on the job or during a training program to prepare for a career. There are several types of solder available and the technician must be able to choose the correct mixture and make other decisions along the way to ensure the final product works correctly. People often inspect the design after dip soldering to see if manual adjustments are needed, such as cleaning excess solder from a contact or ruling out a damaged item such as marks or distortion from the soldering process.