Tinning Services

HI-REL TINNING SERVICES

Lead tinning has experienced a surge in popularity recently, even though the process has been in use for nearly 25 years.

The original need arose when the military decided that plated finishes – which are not fused – were not suitable or acceptable for Hi-Rel environments. Plated finishes were found not to be robust enough to withstand oxidation encroachment to the base lead and could result in a solder joint failure in the field. That process gradually diminished in necessity over the years, but now it has come back for that reason as well as many others.

Five Essential Reasons For Re-Tinning
  • Convert Sn/Pb components to RoHS

  • Refurbishing of “Legacy Components”: Removing the oxidized (plated) lead finish and replacing with a fused intermetallic Sn/Pb finish

  • Gold Embrittlement Mitigation: Removing the gold from the components leads by “solubilizing” in molten Sn/Pb solder

  • Tin Whisker Mitigation: Replacing the tin plating with fused alloy

  • Convert RoHS components to Sn/Pb

We offer quick turnaround tinning services for all types of components packages including Through-hole, SMT, LCCs, SOs, PLCCs, QFNs, DFNs, SOICs and QFPs.

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The procedure for re-tinning components, from start to finish, involves the following steps:
  • Incoming solderability test using a wetting balance tester

  • Careful handling and fixturing of the components

  • Processing the components in a robotic lead tinning system using a double dip process.

  • The first dip is into a cleansing bath of molten alloy to remove the original coating, followed with a flux dip, then a final immersion into a “clean” solder bath for a pure eutectic or RoHS finish.

  • Post cleaning

  • Visual inspection

  • Final wetting balance test to assure best solderability

  • Lot report documenting the details of the process