Wave Soldering Defects

Solder Mask Discoloration on a Printed Circuit Board

Normally this is a cosmetic issue but should be investigated for the real cause. When running a thicker board it is probable that the soldering process or dwell times may have changed.

Figure 1: Dark stripes on the solder mask after selective soldering
Figure 1: Dark stripes on the solder mask after selective soldering.

The most common reasons for this occurrence include:

Different flux used, higher temperature, longer dwell time or boards were run twice in pallet
Solder mask/resist type, thickness or cure cycles have changed
PCB supplier has been changed, or mixed batches of boards

There is no reference to the board finish, solder alloy being used or flux type - water or alcohol based. These are important when conducting analysis of the process problem.

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