Solutions for the removal of solder fume in electronics manufacturing

Today’s electronics manufacturing industry comprises of a multiplicity of different separation and joining processes, with the latter having a substantial involvement in production technology. Even with advancement of technological processes, soldering maintains a substantial role in electronic assemblies, alongside processes such as gluing, welding and lasering.

Soldering has many facets and isn’t always a straightforward soldering task as it is a process that can attract a number of different soldering technologies:

• Wave or flow
• Reflow
• Dip
• Hot air
• Selective
• Laser
• Vacuum
• Vapour phase

Regardless of the soldering process you adopt, they all have one aspect in common and that is the production of airborne pollutants, something that can have a potentially severe negative impact on employees, plants and the goods being produced.

The elimination of solder fume is not simply the provision of good ventilation, it is essential that a quality, fully functional and efficient extraction and filtration system is utilised.   The correct selection of the system is dependent upon the type of fume being generated, the volume of such fume and the process being undertaken.  These factors should all be considered when making the selection of the extraction and filtration unit or system needed.  Mobile and centralised systems available from ULT AG and available through Flextraction, are state of the art and not only extract and filter contaminated air, but are able to clean the air enabling safe re-circulation back into the workplace.

Critical within the selection of the correct extraction and filtration unit is the choice of collecting element; the hood type should be of such a design as to enable the closest proximity to the source in order to achieve maximum capture and to save on energy costs.  Being further away from the source of the fume demands a greater suction capacity which in turn increases energy consumption.  

Flextraction is happy to offer advice on how to choose the right product for your solder fume extraction process.