Emil Otto GmbH has already introduced the first new products in the multi-flux series at productronica in November 2015. Now the German flux manufacturer is going to up the ante and present more products from this series to the interested professional public at SMT 2016 in Nuremberg.
‘Our customers kept asking us whether we couldn’t develop fluxes for the most varied application areas’, explains Markus Geßner, authorized signatory at Emil Otto GmbH. Particularly small and mid-sized companies express this desire, because they want to deploy a uniform flux for as many soldering processes as possible. So Emil Otto introduced EO-B-001, EO-B-002, and EO-B-003 fluxes from the new multi-flux series to the public at productronica 2015. Four additional products will expand this series at SMT.
Hand- and dip-soldering are used at many companies in addition to the wave- and selective-soldering process. Emil Otto GmbH has specific fluxes for each of these applications with the properties in the assortment aligned with the applications. However a flux that brings good soldering and performance properties to each individual application is needed should the wave-soldering system run only on certain days of the month at the company while in contrast hand soldering is conducted daily with different task assignments and cables are assembled without any time remaining for technical adjustments. They are therefore usable for all established soldering processes.
All of the fluxes in the multi-flux assortment meet DIN EN 61 190-1-1 with L0 classifications regarding corrosion behaviour, freedom from halogen, and surface resistivity of the uncleaned flux residues. Moreover they’ve been tested for SIR behaviour under an “Emil Otto in-house test” based on the above-mentioned standard and recommendations of the Fraunhofer Institute Oberpfaffenhofen. All of the multi-flux-series products have passed the tests and are hence approved for customer use. The safety and behaviour of the flux residues left after the soldering process have thus been tested. The tests passed give the customer more process reliability for residue behaviour.
The following products are part of the multi-flux series:
| Flux designation | Classification under DIN EN 61 190 1 1 | ISO 9454 | Solids content |
| EO-B-001 | ORL0 | 2.1.3.A | 3.0% |
| EO-B-002 | ORL0 | 2.2.3.A | 3.0% |
| EO-B-003 | ORL0 | 2.2.3.A | 3.5% |
| EO-B-004 | REL0 | 1.2.3.A | 1.8% |
| EO-B-005 | REL0 | 1.2.3.A | 1.8% |
| EO-Y-001 | ORL0 | 2.1.3.A | 2.7% |
| EO-Y-002 | ORL0 | 2.1.3.A | 1.8% |
EO-B fluxes are alcohol based. EO-B-001 has very good process properties during hand soldering; however it can also be used in other soldering processes. With EO-B-002 and EO-B-003 on the other hand the process emphasis is on wave and selective soldering where the flux can also be used for hand soldering and cable packaging. EO-B-004 has very good process properties in all soldering methods. Its low solids content ensures minimal flux residues and very clean appearances.
In contrast to EO-B flux, EO-Y flux is not based on pure alcohol but on a mixture of alcohol and water. The benefits of both solvents are united here in one product group.
Emil Otto stands by the customer in an advisory capacity during flux selection. Together the most favourable flux is determined from among the available multi-fluxes under testing of the customer’s specific requirements. The most diverse customer requirements can be covered in the process.
Economic conditions often also play a decisive role here. ‘The use of different fluxes can lead to considerable added costs, since only small quantities are needed for the respective process. Moreover the storage for various fluxes is more costly and harbours a source of error, since fluxes can be confused’, says Geßner describing the multi-flux series’s benefits. Emil Otto has taken the customer’s desires and concerns into account with the new multi-fluxes.
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