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78 SMT Magazine • January 2016 Key Elements of a Wave Solder Pallet: • Wave solder pallets can mask ground planes, plated surfaces, mounting holes, and SMT components and expose only the desired PCB components to the wave • Pallets can be customized with cost slides to quickly and easily hold down a row of components • Pallets can include titanium corners to provide long life in high volume opera- tions • They can be designed to eliminate solder skipping and provide better connector support • They can eliminate the time-consuming process of manually gluing SMT parts and masking through-hole parts • They can improve solder flow in through- hole areas and reduce rework • Custom fixtures can hold through-hole components and boards in alignment • Built-in edge rails can be added to strengthen the pallet and protect the board from solder flooding robert Voigt is vp of global sales at DDM novastar inc. To reach voigt, click here. sMT quiCk Tips SELECTInG a WaVE SOLDErInG SySTEM, ParT 3 • Manufacturers can design custom fixtures to direct solder flow by shaping the solder side of the carrier to conform to the board Check references Remember to consult a variety of machine providers, talk to the manufacturers themselves if possible, and get references to contact before making a purchase. An important consideration for a complex machine such as a wave solder- ing system and its conveyor/pallet method is factory support, specifically training, software, upgrades and spare parts. Next time: Wave machine options such as inerting, knife-edge cleaning, and more. SMT figure 4: close-up of fingers or clips.