Today’s mailbag question is about indium-containing alloys.
The email asks, “Please elaborate/enumerate which solders you sell that are actually made from the metal indium? All I ever see for sale is lead and SAC. Thanks.”
Oh no! As a true indium aficionado it pains me to hear that.
While it is true that many of the solders we make do not contain indium, indium is contained in over 60 different standard alloys – and this does not include any In-bearing developmental or custom alloys!
You may be wondering, "Why is anyone concerned with these various indium-bearing alloys?" Indium has some amazing properties as an element, and can impart some of those properties into otherwise standard alloys. For instance; indium can be added to a solder alloy to lower the melting point of the alloy, to make the alloy less brittle, or to replace hazardous elements like lead.
If you are an indium-loving techie like me, I’ve created a place that is all about indium: https://www.indium.com/indium49/. Additionally, here's a list of indium-containing alloys that I use for reference:
If you'd like our full listing of all of our alloys, or you just want to know more about indium, our Tech Support Engineers are waiting to tell you about all things indium and help you to determine if indium is right for your application. Just contact them at AskUs@Indium.com