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Solder/Flux Kit
| Soldering wires to the electrodes of piezoceramic sheet and/or the center shim of a 2-layer bending element can be difficult if the proper materials are not used. There is a vast array of materials to choose from. The Solder & Flux Kit offers the right materials to get started at once and provides information to procure materials directly from the manufacturer later. Recommended procedure is described. | 
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Description of Electrodes:
Piezoceramic electrodes will be either fired silver or nickel. Silver electrodes are flat white in color while nickel electrodes are grey.
Silver electrodes are not recommended for high electric field DC applications where the silver is likely to migrate and bridge the two electrodes. It is often used in AC applications. Silver used as an electrode is in the form of flakes suspended in a glass frit. It is generally screened onto the ceramic and fired. The glass makes the bond between the ceramic and the silver particles. Silver is soluble in tin and a silver loaded solder should be used to prevent scavenging of silver in the electrode.
Nickel has good corrosion resistance and is a good choice for both AC and DC applications. It can usually be soldered to easily with tin/lead solder. Electroless nickel, used for plating piezoceramic, contains phosphor. Sometimes the phosphor content in a plating run can make it hard to solder. Vacuum deposited nickel electrodes are usually very thin, making soldering tricky.
Choice of the correct flux (to remove surface oxidation) generally makes soldering to electrode surfaces easy even under adverse conditions.
Description of Center Shims:
Generally, the center shim layer of a 2-layer piezoelectric bending element is either brass or stainless steel. A wire is attached to the center shim if the element is used in parallel operation. Shims are soldered in the same way as the nickel electrode. However, the proper liquid flux choice must be made depending on the shim material.
| CONTENTS OF THE KIT |
|---|
- Solder
- Tin/lead solder for nickel electrodes, 12" length, or
- Tin/lead/silver solder for silver electrodes, 12" length
- Flux
- Liquid Flux for soldering to nickel or silver electrodes, and to stainless steel & brass center shims, 7 ml.
- Wires
- Red wires, #32 gauge, stripped & tinned, 5" length, 5 pieces
- Black wires, #32 gauge, stripped & tinned, 5" length, 5 pieces
| PRICING |
|---|
| Description | Part No. | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Solder/Flux Kit for Nickel Electrodes | ||
| Solder/Flux Kit for Silver Electrodes |
Cambridge MA 02139
USA617-547-1777
Fax: 617-354-2200
email: sales@piezo.com