As a global manufacturer, you cannot help but be aware of the fact that you will be required to Go Lead-Free in a matter of months. At Henkel, we know that the vast majority of our electronics customers have already ensured that their processes comply with the RoHS directive. However, for those who have resisted the transition up until now, there is still time to Go Lead-Free confidently.

Henkel is renowned worldwide for its leadership in the development of lead-free and lead-free compatible materials for critical processes. The end result of our continued commitment to this area is a lead-free portfolio to meet every emerging manufacturing requirement. Multicore® LF318 is a great example of this, successfully tackling the challenge posed by the need to transfer optimized processes to offshore locations.

Born out of a demand by global manufacturers who wanted a single solder paste to offer a reliable, repeatable performance within the assembly environment, Multicore LF318 is formulated to perform under any climatic condition. One of the products most valued strengths is its exceptionally high level of humidity resistance – up to 80% - which is particularly important in the new lead-free environment.

Less reliable solder paste technologies will exhibit impaired slump resistance as a process is transferred to a manufacturing site with a more humid environment. This kind of impairment will inevitably lead to premature drying or promote excessive moisture absorption in the paste, in turn leading to defects during reflow such as solderballing and bridging. In contrast, Multicore LF318 displays excellent resistance to slump, proven by testing to IPC ANSI/J-STD-005 and JIS-Z-3284.

Naturally, process benefits associated with this unique solder paste are most evident during printing and assembly, manifesting in various guises including low levels of paste wastage due to a superior tack life and an open time greater than 24 hours. In addition, Multicore LF318 offers an extremely wide process window for both printing and reflow, also ensuring resistance to component movement during high-speed placement. With excellent solderability on a wide range of surface finishes from Ni/AU to OSP copper, the product is suitable for reflow in either air or nitrogen.

Multicore LF318 delivers a proven solder solution for manufacturers facing a lack of lead-free real world data or experience. Specifically formulated for maximum repeatability and reliability in every environment, Multicore LF318 has been consistently proven in production environments in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Delivering exceptionally reliable manufacturing for Henkel customers across all regions, Multicore LF318 is taking today’s electronics industry one step closer to lead-free paste perfection.