Soldering is very similar to welding, although on a much smaller scale, which makes it ideal for joining electronic components together. It is an essential step in the electronics assembly process and is used in both surface-mount and through-hole assembly methods.
The term 'solder' refers to a filler material used within the soldering process - generally, this is metal alloy with a lower melting point than the workpiece. Common materials used as solder include tin, lead, silver and copper, although lead-based solder is less commonly used within the modern manufacturing environment.
A soldering iron - a handheld device which is typically powered by electricity - is used to melt the solder at the point of contact, where it cools and solidifies, forming a permanent joint between the component and the workpiece. Because of the smaller scale of soldering compared to other joining methods, it results in a much more precision joint without any damage to the workpiece.
