Soldering: the route, the tolerances it holds, materials and design tips, with an indicative cost. One of 56 processes in the free finder.
JoiningFamily
4Route steps
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Soldering joins metal with a filler melting below 450 C, used for electrical and plumbing connections and fine assembly.
At a glance
When to use it, and when not
Best for
Electronics, copper plumbing and delicate joints.
Watch for
Low joint strength and temperature limit; flux and cleaning needed.
Step by step
The typical route
Raw material to finished part. Steps vary with material, volume and tolerance; this is the free route from the finder.
Flux
Apply flux to the joints.
Tooling - Tolerance - Lead -
Solder
Reflow/wave or hand-solder.
Tooling - Tolerance - Lead -
Clean
Clean residue if not no-clean.
Tooling - Tolerance - Lead -
Inspect
IPC-level inspection for electronics.
Tooling - Tolerance - Lead -
Materials
Materials it suits
Grade
Why it suits this
Lead-free solder (SAC)
Electrical
Copper + solder
Plumbing
Design
Design tips
A few general pointers for Soldering. The full, part-specific DFM list is in the dossier.
Relying on solder for strength.Add a mechanical retention.
Poor thermal relief.Design pads/reliefs.
Cost
What it costs
Low-temperature electrical/plumbing joints; cheap and fast, strength is modest. Mechanical, not structural.
PER-PART COST vs VOLUME
Per-part cost drops as volume spreads tooling and setup over more parts. The exact figures for your part at your volume, in your currency, are in the dossier.
MODEL EST.
$0.41 to 0.98per part at 100 off
A rough ballpark only. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency, with the full breakdown.
GET THE FULL DOSSIER
Everything you need to quote and source it
The free route above is yours. To actually put a number on this process and buy it well:
Should-cost at your exact volume in 12 currencies, with the material, processing, tooling and overhead breakdown
Who to source from, typical MOQ and lead time, and the exact RFQ checklist to send
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Soldering joins metal with a filler melting below 450 C, used for electrical and plumbing connections and fine assembly. The typical route is: Flux; Solder; Clean; Inspect. Electronics, copper plumbing and delicate joints.
What does Soldering cost per part?
It depends on size, tolerance and volume. As a rough ballpark it starts around $0.41 to 0.98 per part at low volume and falls with quantity. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency. Model estimates, not quotes.
What tolerance can Soldering hold?
It depends on the feature and the finishing operations used.
What materials suit Soldering?
Common choices are Lead-free solder (SAC) (Electrical); Copper + solder (Plumbing).
See the exact route and should-cost for your part
The free finder maps your part to its process and full route. Pro adds should-cost at your volume, sourcing and an RFQ draft.
