Wave Solder Pallets

Wave Soldering versus Selective Soldering

Wave soldering is the preferred method for soldering large number of boards with through-hole components. It is easy to set up and it is very fast (e.g. it can solder many boards in a short period of time). Wave solder pallets are necessary with boards with mixed technologies (SMT and through-hole components).
Selective soldering is the preferred method for soldering a small amount of boards with mixed technology. Selective soldering is slower than wave soldering but it does not require a wave pallet.

Wave solder pallets are used during wave soldering on circuit boards that require thermal or solder protection. They are custom made to meet the requirements of a particular job. During manufacturing, material is removed from the pallet in areas where the PCB needs to be exposed to solder. Material is left on the pallet in areas where the PCB needs to be covered in particular areas containing surface mount components, mounting holes, gold fingers and ground planes.