Soldering is a thermal procedure that creates a non-detachable connection between materials by means of a solder. The solder consists of tin and other metals, such as copper or silver, and is an easily meltable metal alloy that serves as connector between the materials. To connect two metal components, soldering tin is melted and applied to the stranded wire.
The solder connection technology is flexible and focusses particularly on one requirement: reproducibility. The quality depends on different parameters - e.g. on the constant temperature, the solder used or the size of the components. Hence, the contacting galvanised by hand varies. We at igus would like to realise solder connections at a constant level - by means of professional soldering stations.
Soldering methods are divided to different aspects (according to DIN 8505). There are two kinds of soldering: soft-soldering and hard-soldering. With soft-soldering, the liquidus temperature of the solders is below 450°C. With hard-soldering, the liquidus temperature of the solders is between 450 and 900°C. Usually, hard-soldered connections are more mechanically stable than soft-soldered connections.
Why manual solder connections are good, but technically supported ones are better
How to increase quality and safety even in manual work
For creating electric connections, both crimp and solder connections are suitable. The latter are usually favoured, when it is necessary to ensure constant electric conductivity over a long period of time or the connection point has to be permanently sealed.
But be careful: you have to know what you're doing when soldering. What might look easy at a first glance, turns out to be a complicated process that you need to master. The white paper describes the most significant mistakes during the production of solder connections. It uses the example of harnessing of cable and energy supply systems to explain why technology-supported solder connections should be given preference to manual ones in industrial environments.
Furthermore, the paper describes the economic advantages that the reproducibility of soldering results offers. It concludes with the risks of manual soldering for people and material, and how to minimise them.
What are the advantages of machine-supported soldering?
If machine engineers and system integrators cannot rely entirely on crimp connections, they have to pay special attention to the quality of the solder connections. That is the only way to ensure constant electric conductivity over a long period of time and to permanently protect the connection point, e.g. against gases or liquids.
There are further advantages of machine-supported soldering:
Reproducible quality
Increased security at the work place due to integrated extraction systems
Quality will win!
Practical readychain application examples
Automatic handling of medication: harnessed energy chains ensure 20,000 movements per day
Modular automatic medication picking systems are used for the fast storage and retrieval of medicines in chemists, hospitals or care homes and can be adapted to almost all spatial conditions on site. They must be compact and modular in order to enable problem-free extension and a reliable supply.
"We have had great experience with these cables. They achieve a long service life on the field and hence make the handling of the remote control easier as they are flexible and therefore more mobile. Furthermore, we save time and do not need to provide plug-in connectors or other accessories. If we consider the internal costs of harnessing, readycable cables are no more expensive than unharnessed cables."
Andreas Zeyer, CEO at Second Generation Josef Zeyer GmbH, Neresheim
The world's No. 1 when it comes to drive cables that are suitable for use in chains
The igus readycable range extends from a large variety of cables in accordance with the standards of various manufacturers such as Siemens, SEW or Beckhoff, to cables for video/vision equipment and harnessed Ethernet cables up to CAT7. You can realise the following cost advantages with every single cable:
Ready-to-connect directly from the cable manufacturer
Up to 7 price classes with the same electrical properties
Exactly in the desired length (cut with cm accuracy)
No minimum order value or quantity
Ready to ship in 24 - 48 hours
Special forms of harnessing are part of our everyday business
Why our products keep delivering what they promise
UL verified: igus® receives the highest recognition by globally recognised testing organisation
We confidently issue a 36-month guarantee on our cables, as we are able to make reliable predictions about the service life of our cables and the ready-to-connect harnessed end systems, due to over 30 years of experience in our 3,800m² test laboratory and 700 concurrently undertaken experiments.
We are now the first German firm to have this promise validated for our cables. In a complex certification process, the US "Underwriters Laboratories" institute confirmed the accuracy of the "igus® 36-month chainflex® cable guarantee and service life calculator based on two billion test cycles per year" promise. This makes our Cologne-based company the first in Europe to have the veracity of an advertising statement confirmed by a testing institution. In future, every chainflex cable that leaves the factory anywhere in the world will be identified by the UL marketing label with its unique number (B129699), referring to igus.
These statements about the igus quality create reliability and planning security for your entire investment process; all the more so now that they have been confirmed by an external body! You can read everything about UL verified and the corresponding certification process here for free:
High-performance plug-in connectors, signal plug-in connectors and several thousand connector components – igus provides a high level of availability with short delivery times.
Cables sold by the metre for moving applications in energy chains: chainflex meets all requirements for electromagnetic compatibility as well as the standards and guidelines such as UL, CSA, EAC and much more.
Offering around 4,600 harnessed motor, servo, signal and encoder cables, igus is the world's No. 1 when it comes to harnessed cables for use in energy chains.