When discussing soldering in the printed circuit board (PCB) industry, it's important to consider your N2 supply. This is because PCB assembly requires nitrogen (N2) for wave, reflow, and selective soldering. You can find more about these methods in our related article here.
Also, it's worth mentioning PCBs within the electronic manufacturing services (EMS) market. Simply put, an EMS company produces electronic components including PCBs for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). OEM companies are what consumers and B2B customers interact with when purchasing a complete product.
The reason these two points are relevant is because both soldering types and OEMs have their own N2 requirements. The best way to control your supply is with on-site N2 generation.
Minimize emissions with your own nitrogen supply
One common method for receiving N2 is through deliveries. However, this option can be costly, complicated, and environmentally taxing. It involves rental fees for the N2 cylinders, as well as transportation expenses and, of course, the cost of the high purity N2. The transport of these deliveries also produces CO2.
The benefits of an efficient on-site generator
On the flipside, highly efficient nitrogen generators can consume less energy than an external vendor. This is because it can take a lot of power to produce N2 of the highest purity. When done at your facility, you're only generating the amount of N2 you need at the purity you need, eliminating wasted energy use. That said, one cubic meter of delivered N2 is more expensive than when generating it yourself.
These gas generation savings quickly offset the investment costs of an on-site generation system. This typically consists of an air compressor, N2 generator, air treatment equipment, and air and N2 storage. For small to medium sized PCB companies, it’s possible to use an oil-injected air compressor with the right combination of the quality dryers and filters. This can also lower investment costs.
When considering all these points, on-site nitrogen generation is overall a better option. You'll no longer need to deal with delivery logistics and depend on external supplier constraints. While investing in a nitrogen generator does come with an initial cost, it will pay for itself quickly with a much lower cost per unit of gas. In addition, you’ll have complete control over your N2 supply.
Quality control
To reiterate, since soldering requires readily available N2, generating your own N2 guarantees demands are met. This carries over into the reputation of your business, which is especially important as an EMS company, like mentioned above. Since the market is competitive, you’ll want to remain in good standing with OEMs.
Why nitrogen is used in PCB assembly
N2 is preferred over air (oxygen) in PCB assembly. This is due to its inert properties, as well as low oxide levels. The latter can negatively affect the quality of solder, impacting connection between components. Also, you want to minimize heat generated when working with electronic components.
With the above points, N2 causes less dross, which is oxidized tin. This is considered waste in the PCB manufacturing process, and therefore should be avoided. N2 also leads to maximum solder flux – due to its ability to keep solder wet. You don't want it to dry out.
N2 benefits all soldering types
As referenced in the introduction, there are three methods used for soldering. The one you use will depend on whether a PCB is made with through-hole technology (THT) or surface mount technology (SMT). Wave and selective soldering are used for THT and reflow is used for SMT.
With all these methods, you want the best possible solder to ensure components are secured properly the first time. The last thing worth mentioning is that oxygen can be corrosive to both the solder and soldering tip. This is why OEMs have strict requirements around N2.
We're here to help
We hope this article is helpful in better understanding why on-site N2 generation is the best way to go for PCB assembly. There really is no alternative when producing electronics for an OEM. Not using adequate N2 could compromise the integrity of your products.
If you'd like more information on the topics we covered, we're happy to help. Our team can help you specify the right nitrogen generation system for your facility and which of our solutions would work best for you.
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