I see a wide range of compliant pin types on the market.  How do I decide which type to use?

Exactly which type of compliant pin design you should use will be based on a range of application questions.  The normal questions about the overall product performance such as current capacity, plating requirements and overall product size will still apply.  These apply regardless if the product is a compliant pin or through-hole solder design.  When you are looking to move to a compliant pin product, you will also look at the design’s performance relative to the application to the PCB.  Characteristics such as insertion force, retention force and applicable board thickness will need to be compared.  Some compliant pin designs feature a greater retention force, but typically require a thicker board.  To the reverse, some products allow for use on very thin boards, but tend to have lower retention force.  As always, you should contact the product supplier for help with matching the right product with your application requirements.  The key is that there are numerous products on the market today.  It is very likely that one is available to meet your need and allow you to take advantage of the benefits of compliant pin products and solder free processing.

Can compliant pin products be soldered as a safety measure?

In many cases, compliant pin products can be soldered.  Consult your product supplier for details.  However, one has to ask the question why you would consider doing this.  In many cases, users of compliant pins ask this question because they are unfamiliar with the technology and are looking to the solder to give them a level of confidence.  While it may seem like a good idea, using solder basically eliminates the key advantages of compliant pin processing ¾ avoiding the cost, environmental and application issues of solder.  Compliant pin products, without any solder, have been proven in some of the most demanding applications that require the highest levels of quality and reliability.  The telecommunications, automotive and military/aerospace industries have been using compliant pin products (without solder) successfully for many years.  So, while the solder may make you feel more comfortable with compliant pin products, there is extensive real world and lab testing to show that you do not need the solder. 

This Q&A was previously published in our Volume 7 web edition of leadfreemagazine.com