What is flux and why shouldn't you mess around with it? | FixOEM

Hi Fixer, today we are going to tell you what flux is, because surely you don't know or if you do, maybe there are things you didn't know about this paste. But enough talk and let's get to the tasty stuff.

The flux is a soldering paste and with its fluid texture it allows you to improve the quality of your electronic soldering on motherboards as well as traditional components such as SMD ( surface mount components ).

In addition to this, when the flux is applied to the components that we are going to weld, it eliminates the existing oxide between them, substantially increasing the quality of the welding.

This input greatly facilitates the work of welding since it concentrates the heat and distributes it evenly in the work area, so that welding is cooler than one could normally do.

There are many varieties of flux and they are always mixtures of active chemical agents, for example: zinc chloride, ammonium chloride, among others. These when interacting with other elements they can serve as solvents, additives and protective components against oxygen.

• Carry out any micro soldering with lead or without lead.
• BGA repair ( a type of integrated circuit )
• Weld various "Flip Chip" components ( it is a technology for integrated circuits )
• Solder SMD components
• Make touches and general touch-ups.
• Clean the circuits of remains and residues

In many cases the solder does not adhere well to the electronic components and this gives rise to a bad or cold solder joint. So if we start using the flux in our welds we will have the following benefits:

• Make it easier for the tin to melt properly and be more manageable.
• Prevents holes from forming in the weld.
• remove rust
• Remove dust and dirt
• Allow to work at lower temperatures thus avoiding damage to the plate.

That if friend, be very careful with how you use the flux, you must not forget that the flux is a chemical product and as such it must be treated with certain precautions:

• Apply in a place with sufficient ventilation
• Use laboratory protective glasses, as well as masks and gloves
• Always remove excess flux from the board to prevent it from liquefying when the circuit is used and causing any damage