Automatic soldering technologies differ by the means in which heat is delivered to the solder joint. Typical soldering technologies include:

• Contact (Iron);
• Resistance;
• Microflame;
• Laser;
• High-intensity Light .

Contact soldering technologies (iron or resistance) provide simpler and less expensive strategies, at the cost of less precise process control.  in contact soldering, the tip which contacts the joint also needs frequent cleaning to deliver reliable heating. Fluxes tend to attack the tip, leading to higher maintenance.

Non-contact technologies, such as microflame or laser, are generally more expensive to deploy, but heat the solder joint without contact. These technologies exhibit higher MTBF characteristics, as tip wear is not an issue. Non-contact technologies also tend to provide very precise control of the heat delivery process, leading to very low process variance and high yields.

Benefits

Automatic soldering provides the following benefits:

• Reduced labor content;
• Improved joint consistency;
• Reduced exposure to fumes;
• Faster cycle times.

Applications

Robotic soldering is typically used to replace manual soldering operations. The process mimics manual soldering, with the use of a point heat source and the introduction of solder through a wire feeding system. Automatic soldering systems can also include flux dispensing, wire stripping and handling and machine vision guidance.