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Trends in Selective Soldering
April 22, 2010 |Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
DUBLIN, Ireland — In this report, Research and Markets evaluates the key technology and market trends, pricing trends, and industry adoption factors for selective soldering. Some of the major market participants and their core competencies are also discussed. In the report, Research and Markets provides an evaluation of soldering technologies, selective soldering processes and configurations, growth drivers, industry challenges, and more.
Lead-free Increases Selective Soldering
Selective soldering (using nozzles) is increasingly preferred over traditional wave (using pallets) and hand soldering techniques, due to the enhanced capabilities in terms of cost, defect reduction, solder quality, and improved throughput. Lead-free soldering has enabled selective soldering technology to gain more prominence and wider adoption. The technology would be appropriate for electronics assembly manufacturers dealing with mixed technology boards.
Selective Soldering Equipment Users
Industrial, telecommunication, aerospace, and medical segments are some of the areas where opportunities abound for selective soldering. Currently, selective soldering is gaining traction among contract manufacturers. The automotive segment has been a vital factor in driving innovations in the selective soldering sector. As mission critical applications such as military/defense and homeland security require highly reliable electronic assemblies, selective soldering has proved to be an excellent alternative to wave and hand soldering.
Selective Vs. Established Soldering Technologies
Although wave soldering is a traditional technology, the element of competition with selective soldering still exists. Some applications still rely on human-hand dexterity; thus, it is difficult to completely replace hand soldering. Press-fit and pin-in-paste are other competing technologies for selective soldering.
Competition from traditional technologies, improving the performance characteristics of the machines, and lack of standardization are some of the challenges associated with selective soldering technology. There is a need for high-throughput, reduced cycle time, and highly precise selective soldering machines. Selective soldering is a mature technology and over the past years, research and development activities are directed toward new nozzle designs, modular and flexible machines, multipoint fluxing systems, and low-cost machines. Some of the manufacturers are interested in integrating inspection systems with selective soldering machines to monitor solder quality. In future, it is desirable to have a single machine with multiple soldering capabilities fitting into various production profiles and applications. Manufacturers are contemplating complete transition to surface mount components, though through-hole technology has not been eliminated. Selective soldering will continue to find opportunities as long as through-hole components are employed in circuit boards. Considering the overall scenario, savvy participants would be wise to enter into strategic partnerships with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or contract manufacturers to enable the market to move forward in high gear.
A large number of manufacturers compete in the selective soldering space. Major market participants include Pillarhouse, ERSA, Vitronics Soltec, SEHO Systems GmbH, JUKI Corporation, ACE Production Technologies Inc., and RPS Automation LLC. There is an increasing pressure to offer distinctive services in terms of pricing, specifications, performance, brand name, sales, services, and training support. Therefore profit margins may be influenced, driving the market toward consolidation. Due to intensifying competition, manufacturers are devising pricing strategies, but truncated margins are the inevitable fallout. The gravitation toward low-cost machines could trigger a tradeoff between cost and performance. Manufacturers involved in high-volume production can manage to achieve economies of scale. For other manufacturers, price reduction is likely to seriously impair profit margins. Significant price variations exist with different categories of equipment and this is heavily dependant on the functionalities and level of sophistication provided by the manufacturer
Selective soldering methodologies in the report include:
- Selective Soldering with High-Velocity JetWave Nozzle Technology
- Integrated Multi-Wave and Point-to-Point Selective Soldering Systems
- Selective Wave and Laser Soldering
- Stamp Soldering for High Speed; High Volume/Low-Mix Production Applications
- High-Precision Selective Soldering Systems
- Selective Soldering with Parallel Processing Capabilities
Order the report online at http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/cd850d/trends_in_selective_soldering
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