"!#! $ &
')(

%  *,+-/.0
)11234 5
6 

87:9; <=  >#@?A!B CC)!  D F 9
E  *,3-$HGI+JE33KEL*,GM3 JNO%P F 5Q
R.0
)1%2S34 5


)
TDU; ;
=  V9&
D XW)')YZD T[1DU
,\D 5XV]
J9x
)0yT ;9  )! # C
$y\;z;
  3]%9DU;} |~REOLID 9;Q9€‚N;T\5 ƒ'/„Z9ZDU… { 9D ;} †‡;
ˆF ‰
G%9FUD {9
Y F 9[ \(|Y9  !)‹Š
G%9FUD {9
Y F 9[; (R9 
Quality Plan (draft version 04)

Quality Plan

1 Introduction

This quality plan is deliverable 5.3 of the European lead-free soldering project “Lead-free soldering
also for SME’s”. In this report the quality plan is demonstrated for the manual soldering process. A
process has been selected instead of a generic lead-free description. This to prevent that it would
become too broad or too generic on a too high level. Manual soldering has been selected because it
is probably still one of the most critical lead-free assembly processes. This process heavily relies on
the human factor concerning soldering techniques and working methods. Lead-free manual
soldering is also a research topic within the project. This document provides a systematic guideline
of critical aspects which should be specified and in control for the process.

2 Definition of quality plan

What is a quality plan? The following definition of quality plan has been translated from the
glossary “Verklarende Woordenlijst Kwaliteitszorg” [1]: “An instrument which enables executors
to built products which can meet the expectations of the customer. The plan, which is a result of
quality planning, contains a description of the specific measures, facilities and sequence of activities
with regard to quality, applicable to a product, service, contract or project.”

3 Scope

The quality plan is based on the manual soldering process and primarily focused on the lead-free
related aspects. The quality plan is therefore neither product specific nor a general lead-free
guideline. The focus is on quality related aspects, solder joint reliability is therefore not specifically
covered by this plan. Quality and quality control are obviously important conditions for obtaining
reliable solder joints, but to ensure reliability, one should also incorporate design and material
parameters with respect to the operational conditions. Finally, this document is only guideline and
can therefore not be used as a specification.

^,_`Xa-bc dQebZdHfhg0ei-j"kml0nUo pq"r dts%uvw

 

      "!#! $ &
')(
%  *,+-/.0
)11234 5
6 

87:9; <=  >#@?A!B CC)!  D F 9
E  *,3-$HGI+JE33KEL*,GM3 JNO%P F 5Q
R.0
)1%2S34 5


)
TDU; ;
=  V9&
D XW)')YZD T[1DU
,\D 5XV]

4 Objective

To provide an instrument which can contribute to the quality level and the control of manually
soldered lead-free joints. In a systematic and detailed description, guidelines and references are
given which can be used to set up and control the process. Additionally this document can be used
as a check list when performing process audits.

5 Quality plan

The quality plan is based on the process of the assembly and soldering of through-hole printed
circuit boards. The basic flow of this manual soldering process is presented in figure 1. Table 1
contains the list of aspects which should be specified and controlled for this process. The main
references in the table correspond to the references in the process flow.

M1 Printed circuit board

P1 M2 Components
Mounting
components

P2 M3 Solder wire
Soldering

T1
P3 Rework
Insp. /
testing Not solder
OK joint / Repair
OK
Px

Add. Process
steps / further
assembly

Figure 1: Process flow of the lead-free manual soldering

process on which the quality plan is based.

^,_`Xa-bc dQebZdHfhg0ei-j"kml0nUo pq"r dMŒHuvw

 

      "!#! $ &
')(
%  *,+-/.0
)11234 5
6 

87:9; <=  >#@?A!B CC)!  D F 9
E  *,3-$HGI+JE33KEL*,GM3 JNO%P F 5Q
R.0
)1%2S34 5


)
TDU; ;
=  V9&
D XW)')YZD T[1DU
,\D 5XV]

Table 1: Guidelines per process step.

Ref. Description Critical aspects
M1 Printed circuit board The adequacy of the printed circuit board design should
have been proven before it is taken into regular production.
The board design is preferably a result of a design phase in
which design reviews have been conducted on a regular
basis. The printed circuit board should meet the
requirements of specifications like the ANSI/IPC A-600G:
“Acceptability of Printed Boards” [2], or an equivalent.
Relevant design standards are the IPC-D-275 [3] and IPC-
D-300 [4].
M1.1 Plated through holes / For plated through holes there is no design standard such
solder lands as the IPC-7351 for surface mount technology [5]. The
recommendations given in Klein Wassink’s “Soldering in
Electronics” [6] can still be used as a guideline in the
majority of cases.
M1.2 Base material As far as know, it is for manual soldering not necessary to
change the thermal properties of the base materials of the
printed circuit boards (e.g. higher Tg, Td). Printed circuit
boards are actually still a research topic with regard to
lead-free soldering.
M1.3 Board finish The manual soldering process does not require specific
printed circuit board finishes. All currently available lead-
free board finishes are compatible with the manual
soldering process.
M2 Components Specifications of components should be studied
concerning any specific assembly related requirements.
Non regular requirements and critical aspects should be
documented in a manufacturing instruction. It is also
recommend to record the RoHS compliancy declarations
of the manufacturers of all components. This could be one
of the basic requirements in case of an audit.
M2.1 Thermal load The heat resistance of the components and component
housings is normally not a critical aspect within the
manual soldering process. Some components like for
instance NTC’s can be very sensitive to thermal loads and
may even require a special procedure for hand soldering.
M2.2 Moisture Sensitivity Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) is normally not an issue
Level within the manual soldering process [7].
M2.3 Component finish The manual soldering process does not require specific
component finishes. All currently available lead-free
component finishes are compatible with the manual
soldering process.
M2.4 Lead form The shape and length of the component leads can have an
enormous impact on the joint quality. The lead shape and
lead length should be specified for each component.
Specific tools and tool settings should be documented in
manufacturing instructions to assure the reproducability.
Preferably also a perfect version of the product is used as
an example (golden device) during component preparation.
^,_`Xa-bc dQebZdHfhg0ei-j"kml0nUo pq"r dMHuvw
 

      "!#! $ &
')(
%  *,+-/.0
)11234 5
6 

87:9; <=  >#@?A!B CC)!  D F 9
E  *,3-$HGI+JE33KEL*,GM3 JNO%P F 5Q
R.0
)1%2S34 5


)
TDU; ;
=  V9&
D XW)')YZD T[1DU
,\D 5XV]

M3 Solder wire Lead-free solder wires are currently readily available. It is

recommended to gain adequate experience before using
lead-free solder wires in regular production. This is in any
case recommended, also for highly skilled operators.
M3.1 Alloy The manual soldering process does not require specific
alloys. In case also other technologies are used on the
board, it might sometimes be practical to stay with these
alloys (e.g. in case of rework and repair). Deliverable D5.2
(compatibility diagram) can be consulted for lead-free
soldering results concerning compatibility.
M3.2 Flux The flux should have been tested and classified in
accordance with J-STD-004, MIL-F-14256, or equivalent
[8].
P1 Mounting Component mounting should be done according to a
product parts list and mounting drawing. Proper mounting
is an important condition for obtaining defect free and
reliable solder joints. Preferably, a golden device should be
available for each product.
P2 Soldering Especially for the soldering step the operator should have
the right skills and working methods obtained by
professional training. Subsequently it is important that
operators do refresher training on a regular basis. Each
operator should be trained according to the same program.
Prevent practicing the “sitting next to Nelly” approach.
P2.1 Solder station Currently there are a lot of soldering stations available on
the market which are suitable for lead-free. These can
however have very different heating and temperature
control strategies. The power should be at least 80 Watt in
case a soldering station with a conventional heating
strategy is used for lead-free.
P2.1.1 Solder tip An efficient heat transfer is one of the most important
requirements for manually soldered products. The tip
shape and tip condition are obviously some of the most
important factors.
P2.1.1.1 Solder tip selection The solder tip to be used should be specified for each
product in a manufacturing instruction. For certain specific
board locations it might be necessary to specify another
solder tip / station. This would prevent possible problems
or even damage due to inadequate heat transfer. Always
select the largest solder tip possible for the soldering
locations.
P2.1.1.2 Solder tips in The lead containing and the lead-free process should each
transition period have their own solder tips and should be clearly separated
in production. Even mixing of small amounts of alloy can
result in contamination of the solder and subsequently in
less reliable joints.
P2.1.1.3 Solder tip cleaning To maintain soldering performance it is necessary to clean
the tip regularly during soldering. A hot tip can be cleaned
by wiping off the dirt on a wet sponge. The sponge should
only be wetted with de-ionized water. Together with this
also special tip cleaners can be used. Proper tip cleaning
^,_`Xa-bc dQebZdHfhg0ei-j"kml0nUo pq"r dyŽuvw
 

      "!#! $ &
')(
%  *,+-/.0
)11234 5
6 

87:9; <=  >#@?A!B CC)!  D F 9
E  *,3-$HGI+JE33KEL*,GM3 JNO%P F 5Q
R.0
)1%2S34 5


)
TDU; ;
=  V9&
D XW)')YZD T[1DU
,\D 5XV]

can extend the tip life and therefore save costs.

P2.1.1.4 Solder tip tinning Always leave the soldering tip clean and coated with
solder when not in use. This will prevent oxidation of the
solder tip (lead-free tips are more sensitive to oxidation).
Be aware of the flux activity of the solder when tinning the
tip for storage. Too active fluxes can cause corrosion
failures on the tip. New tips should always be properly
tinned before use.
P2.1.1.5 Solder tip life It is good practice to turn off or down the soldering station
when it is not used for a longer period. This can extend the
tip life significantly and therefore reduce costs.
P2.1.1.5 Solder tip The operator should be able to recognize tip wear in an
replacement early stage. The solder tip replaced interval should
preferably be specified in a maintenance instruction. A
poor soldering performance is not the right indicator!
P2.2 Temperature setting Use the lowest possible temperature setting to prevent
thermal damage, fast flux usage / degradation and tip
degradation (life extension). This temperature setting
should be determined for each product and documented in
a manufacturing instruction.
P2.3 Soldering operation For the actual soldering operation it is important that the
operator has the right technique and is aware of the
behaviour of lead-free solders.
P2.3.1 Tip positioning Place the tip the as close as possible to the most heat
demanding part. Often this means on the pad and against
the lead. Maximize the contact area with lead and pad.
P2.3.2 Supplying solder The solder should start to melt when applying it to the
solder location. Avoid directly supplying the solder on to
the tip.
P2.3.3 Dwell times Soldering times of lead-free solders are significant longer.
Operators should be aware of this and should not get hasty.
During soldering no pressure should be applied on the tip
and no scrubbing movements should be made. Increasing
the solder temperature can reduce soldering times, but this
will increase the initial thermal shock and speed up the
flux usage or even lead to early flux degradation.
P2.3.4 Pulling back solder Pulling back the wire might require a faster movement
wire / iron compared to SnPb. After that the iron is removed.
P2.3.5 Cooling During cooling of the joint, the assembly should not be
moved. There might be a tendency to directly rework the
joint based on the result. With lead-free this almost never
leads to a better result. Proper techniques should be used in
case rework is needed (removal old solder, adding new
flux etc).
T1 Inspection / testing Solder joint evaluation should be done according to e.g.
IPC-A-610 [9], IPC-DRM-PTH [10], or equivalent.
Revision D of the IPC-A-610 is updated concerning lead-
free soldering. Operators should be trained in evaluating
solder joints according to standards. Deliverable D5.1
(Inspection criteria) should be consulted for results which
are obtained during practical tests.
^,_`Xa-bc dQebZdHfhg0ei-j"kml0nUo pq"r dyuvw
 

      "!#! $ &
')(
%  *,+-/.0
)11234 5
6 

87:9; <=  >#@?A!B CC)!  D F 9
E  *,3-$HGI+JE33KEL*,GM3 JNO%P F 5Q
R.0
)1%2S34 5


)
TDU; ;
=  V9&
D XW)')YZD T[1DU
,\D 5XV]

P3 Solder joint rework / Operators should be trained in repair procedures. Rework

repair and repair activities should be conducted according to the
requirements of IPC-7711 [11], or equivalent. Non regular
components should be included in a manufacturing
instruction. Deliverable D5.4 (Repair Acceptance
catalogue) should be consulted for lead-free soldering
guidelines.
P3.1 Thermal load during During repair work the thermal load on components
repair should not exceed the profiles specified in IPC/JEDEC J-
STD-020C [8].
P3.2 Solder mixing Different alloys should be kept strictly separated. Even
mixing of small amounts of alloy can result in
contamination of the solder and subsequently in less
reliable joints.
Px Cleaning A cleaning strategy can be based on for instance the IPC-
C-65: “Guidelines for Cleaning of Printed Circuit Boards
and Assemblies” [12]. Tacky flux residues should also be
avoided. Contamination can easily stick to these and can
subsequently influence the electro-chemical reliability.
Px Joint integrity Apart from the requirements of the IPC-610D, manually
soldered joints should exhibit a proper intermetallic bond.
A consistent intermetallic layer should be present between
the solder and the base materials when a cross section is
made of the joints. The thickness of the layer depends
strongly on the composition of the layer.

6 References

[1] Onnias, A, “Verklarende Woordenlijst Kwaliteitszorg”, Kluwer Technische Boeken - ISBN

90 201 2813 2, 1e druk 1993.

[2] ANSI / IPC A-600G, “Acceptability of Printed Boards”, Association Connecting Electronics
Industries, 01-Jul-2004.

[3] IPC-D-275, “Design Standard for Rigid Printed Boards and Rigid Printed Board Assemblies”,
September 1991.

[4] IPC-D-300, “Printed Board Dimensions and Tolerances”, Revision G, January 1984.

[5] IPC-7351, “Generic Requirements for Surface Mount Design and Land Pattern Standard”.

[6] Klein Wassink, R.J., “Soldering in Electronics (Second edition)”, ISBN 0 901150 24 X,
Electrochemical Publications LTD, 1994.

[7] JEDEC / IPC J-STD-020C, “Moisture / Reflow Sensitivity Classification of Plastic Surface
Mount Devices, Revision C, July 2004.

[8] IPC J-STD-004A, “Requirements for Soldering Fluxes”, Association Connecting Electronics
Industries, 01-Jan-2004.
^,_`Xa-bc dQebZdHfhg0ei-j"kml0nUo pq"r dH‘Muvw
 

      "!#! $ &
')(
%  *,+-/.0
)11234 5
6 

87:9; <=  >#@?A!B CC)!  D F 9
E  *,3-$HGI+JE33KEL*,GM3 JNO%P F 5Q
R.0
)1%2S34 5


)
TDU; ;
=  V9&
D XW)')YZD T[1DU
,\D 5XV]

[9] IPC-A-610, “Acceptability of Electronics assemblies” Revision D, Association Connecting

Electronics Industries, January 2000.

[10] IPC-DRM-PTH, “Through-Hole Solder Joint Evaluation Desk Reference Manual”, Rev. D,
11/05.

[11] IPC 7711/21A “Rework of Electronic Assemblies & Repair and Modification of Printed
Boards and Electronic Assemblies”, Association Connecting Electronics Industries, 01-Oct-
2003.

[12] IPC-C-65: “Guidelines for Cleaning of Printed Circuit Boards and Assemblies”, Revision A
September 1999.

^,_`Xa-bc dQebZdHfhg0ei-j"kml0nUo pq"r dMwHuvw