You probably mean lead free, since solder free solder is something
even the most capable politicians have not yet thought of. ;-)
Anyway, lead free PCBs generally use the same materials as leaded boards.
There may however be some board materials that are no longer used for
leadfree, or may not provide optimal results.
Especially tin plating (with molten tin, not chemically) is said to be
more of a challenge now, because of the higher melting point the
boards tend to warp more easily.
I don't think you'll get better material this way (apart from the
absence of lead in the surface finish), but any PCB manufacturer
should be able to supply datasheets for his materials so you can
confirm this.
ST
On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 8:43 PM, mcjonster <mcjonster@...> wrote:
> Does anyone know if Solder Free boards say from Gold Phoenix are of better quality/more heat resistant than regular boards?
>
> I read that solder free melts at around 250C and regular solder melts at 180C.
>
> Are the boards the same or are the solder free boards made better so that you can use high temperatures for assembly?
>
> I use regular solder products due to the lower temp but I think if I order my boards solder free, the extra temperature resistance would make assembly much easier and less broken pads and I wouldn't need to monitor the temperature as closely.
>
> Lately I've just turned up my hotplate to max and when it reflows, I remove the board. I don't bother with the temperature profile stuff.
>
>