The Electronics Industry's Lead-free Thermal Profiling Specialist
When SolderStar opened for business in 2002, lead-free manufacturing was, for most in the electronics industry, a dot on the horizon. For Mark Stansfield and Patrick McWiggin, lead-free manufacturing was already with us.

SolderStar’s founders recognised early-on that electronics manufacture was set to go through something of a revolution. Thermal processes would have to be controlled like never before, and thermal profiling would be key to successful lead-free manufacture.

They predicted that electronics manufacturers all over the world would need new thermal profiling equipment capable of operating efficiently and accurately at higher temperatures. They also understood the need for a new class of software that would streamline the profiling process with a range of capture, analysis and prediction capabilities.

That’s not all, they also wanted to simplify profiling for companies who would be forced down this path for the first time by lead-free manufacture; and more generally, as some thermal processes can present a bewildering array of speed and temperature variables which may need altering to achieve an optimal profile.

SolderStar has grown from strength to strength, dedicated from the outset to the design and manufacture of specialist, easy-to-use thermal profiling equipment and software for the lead-free electronics industry.

Today, the SolderStar range of thermal profiling products and packages combines powerful functionality with reliability, accuracy, simplicity and affordability, setting the standard for professional lead-free thermal profiling.

The lead-free challenge
• Higher reflow temperatures
• Greater risk of heat damage to delicate components and PCBs
• Narrower processing windows
• New materials

The challenges of lead-free are considerable. In order to reflow, lead-free solders must be exposed to temperatures that are uncomfortably close to levels at which delicate components and boards can suffer irreversible heat damage.

In short, processing windows have narrowed dramatically. Compounding this, product quality, reliability, and repeatability are more important now than ever before. It’s a combination that calls for unprecedented levels of control over thermal processes. That means understanding where the temperature should be at every moment during reflow and wave soldering processes, and making sure it is achieved, and held, for the optimum dwell time.

That's where thermal profiling comes in.

Since its inception, SolderStar has built 100% lead-free compliancy into every one of its tools and its software. Every single feature, every detail is carefully designed for maximum performance and precision at higher temperatures.

Simpler
For some smaller companies that are introducing profiling specifically for their lead-free processes, this is a new, unaccustomed task. SolderStar has accordingly designed its tools and software for industry-leading simplicity and clarity. This without compromising on any of the sophistication and functionality that makes them such effective product and process control tools for first-time users and Tier-1 EMS companies alike.

Cooler
Typically exposed to several consecutive heat cycles during solder oven and wave solder machine set-up, a profiler must be insulated. Tools designed years ago for cooler lead-bearing processes require additional heat-shielding for lead-free tasks, making them far from optimal performers that are often bulky.

Designed in the lead-free era, SolderStar’s profilers have heat resistance built in: incorporating the best battery technology and heat insulation in the industry,they can withstand higher temperatures for longer and more heat cycles than any other profiler on the market, so they yield better results.

Faster
As they stay cooler longer, SolderStar profilers make profiling faster as users do not have to wait for them to cool down between machine passes, while faster data capture, analysis and simulation tools yield an optimal profile in minutes rather than hours.

Slimmer
Despite their superior heat resistence, SolderStar’s profilers win hands down in the slimline stakes. At just 20 or 25mm thick, they are perfect for any size of reflow or wave solder machine including the small-aperture ovens used to manufacture mobile electronics products.

Easier
A complete and up-to-date library of solderpastes and machine parameters ensures complete process analysis of even the latest materials and machines, while SolderStar's profiling packages, designed for the technical and budgetary needs of small, medium and large assembly operations, make purchasing decisions easier and can be upgraded as needs change.