If you missed the first part of this series, you can find it here.
Low-temperature alloys have unique properties that can be designed into interesting applications (which we plan on discussing later in this series). We are lucky to have such a large set of available melting points across the range of these alloys. If you need a plug or fusible link to melt at a certain temperature (like a sprinkler head for example), there are many alloys available. Some of the solidus points below the melting point of traditional Sn/Pb solder (at 183°C) are:
7°C,11°C, 16°C, 30°C, 38°C, 47°C, 54°C, 57°C, 58°C, 60°C, 61°C, 62°C, 70°C, 71°C, 72°C, 73°C, 75°C, 77°C, 78°C, 79°C, 80°C, 81°C, 83°C, 87°C, 90°C, 92°C, 93°C, 95°C, 96°C, 98°C, 100°C, 102°C, 103°C, 104°C, 108°C, 109°C, 117°C, 118°C, 120°C, 121°C, 122°C, 123°C, 124°C, 125°C, 128°C, 130°C, 131°C, 132°C, 134°C, 135°C, 138°C, 139°C, 140°C, 143°C, 145°C, 146°C, 149°C, 150°C, 152°C, 153°C, 154°C, 157°C, 160°C, 165°C, 166°C, 170°C, 173°C, 174°C, 175°C, 177°C, 178°C, 179°C, and 181°C
You may actually find it more difficult to develop a soldering application requiring a melting point that isn’t available already! To help with the selection of the perfect alloy, we have developed this solder alloy selector guide.
Be sure to check back soon when we discuss the unique expansion characteristics of these alloys.