Here’s a question regarding samples of various alloys.
“I am looking for small quantities of 8-10 different alloys to be used for testing at different temperatures. The test simply involves exposing these alloys to temperatures between 250-325ºC and monitoring whether they have melted or not. Ideally, alloys of melting points at or near each of 250C, 260C, 270C, 280C, 290C, 300C, 310C, and 320C. The purpose of this test is to identify a material sufficiently thin enough (like a solder wire) that can be used as a reliable indicator of the operating temperature that a piece of our equipment may have reached during operation. Ideally, these alloys would be cadmium and/or lead-free.”
We get questions like this quite often. Allow me to introduce you to our Wire Research Kit: Available here.
We know that having samples of different alloys can be very useful for R&D. These kits can be used for detecting temperature levels, testing metallurgical compatibility, or simply finding the best alloy/flux combination for your soldering application. We offer the research kits in different forms as well. You can choose from a solder wire, solder paste, or solder ribbon selector kit. The solidus temperatures for the alloys in the solder wire kit (as of this posting) are:
58C, 96C, 118C, 138C, 139C, 143C, 149C, 154C, 157C, 164C, 172C, 173C, 182C, 184C, 199C, 217C, 221C, 227C, 237C, 280C, 287C, 300C
As you can see from the above examples, the temperatures don’t always line up exactly - but this kit does give you a chance to select multiple alloys to help you test within a given temperature range.
Our Tech Support Engineers are well-versed in solder alloy selection. If you don’t see what you need in the kits we offer, contact us at AskUs@indium.com.