FOCO offers clean, repeatable soldering on various parts. Since induction heating cycles are much shorter than flame-brazing, more components can be processed within a similar amount of time, with less heat released into the surrounding environment. There is also no open flame, which can require extra ventilation. As a result, induction technologies are far safer for operators.
What is Induction Soldering and How it Works?
Induction soldering is where different metallic objects are joined by melting and allowing the filler metal (solder) to flow across the interface of the joint. The filler metal (solder) has a lower melting temperature than the piece being assembled. Induction solder heats up a piece of work on a radio frequency (RF) plate, making no physical contact with the piece.
Application of Induction Soldering
Soldering has been used for centuries for its ability to permanently make two pieces of metal stick together. Found in many industries, from engineering to plumbing – soldering is irreplaceable because of its versatility and flexible application. Induction soldering has varied applications, notably the automotive, circuit board, piping, jewelry and HVAC industries.
Benefits of Soldering
Soldering applications have a much faster heat-up time than flame heating or furnace heat. That’s one reason soldering may benefit smaller, more delicate parts that can be damaged with higher temperatures. Induction offers several more advantages when it comes to soldering applications.
- Induction soldering processes can be repeated.
- Solder joints are more consistent every time.
- A uniform join can be critical on parts that conduct electrical power.
- Induction heating for soldering applications is easily adaptable to assembly-line methods, permitting the strategic placement of the apparatus on an assembly line and, where appropriate, heating under remote control.
- Induction soldering offers smooth, well-filled joints with a good appearance and high reliability.
The Difference Between Soldering and Brazing
Soldering involves fusing a joining alloy in-between metal parts that are being joined. If the surfaces are smooth, contacts are made, and the joining alloy is mixed into each surface, creating a joint that hardens upon cooling.
Induction soldering has proven a valuable aid to joining processes for many reasons. Among them are fast heating and accurate control of the heat. Rapid heating and precision heat control provide localized heating capability to bond higher-strength components, requiring minimum thinning.
Brazing involves generating heat inside a part, unlike furnaces or flame heating, in which only the surface is heated by convection. The preciseness of brazing allows for the heating of small sections of parts. With both brazing and soldering, a filler metal is used with a melting temperature lower than the solder of the joined metal parts. The coil creates a magnetic field that heats the base material, melting the filler metal.
