Henkel receives top honors for<br>innovative lead-free solder paste

Developed to appeal particularly to multinational manufacturers who wish to qualify a single solder paste that offers reliable performance regardless of climactic condition, Multicore LF318 is a lead-free, halide-free, pin-testable paste formulation that delivers a broad process window for both printing and reflow. Even after 72 hours at 27 Celsius and 80 percent relative humidity, Multicore LF318 achieves a consistently high degree of coalescence upon reflow. And, when tested to IPC ANSI/J-STD-005 and JIS-Z-3284 standards, the material displays excellent resistance to slump. With a superior tack life and an open time greater than 24 hours, Multicore LF318 delivers incredibly low paste wastage, which is very important to manufacturers as they seek to extend the life of their lead-free materials. The lead-free material has a high initial tack force of 2.0g/mm2, providing excellent resistance to component movement during high-speed placement. Suitable for reflow in air or nitrogen, Multicore LF318 is highly versatile and displays excellent solderability on a wide range of surface finishes, including Ni/Au, immersion Sn, immersion Ag and OSP copper. After reflow, only soft, non-stick, colourless residues remain, easing visual inspection and permitting reliable in-circuit testing without clogging test probes, even after many hundreds of tests following double reflow. “This material has broad appeal for many reasons,” says Doug Dixon, Global Marketing Manager for the electronics group of Henkel. “In addition to its outstanding reliability and very wide process window, Multicore LF318 is particularly attractive because of its ability to perform well in any climate – from arid to humid. We are pleased that Electronics Manufacturing Asia has recognized these significant advantages and honored Henkel with this prestigious award.”