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PlanetISO
IPC and J-STD electronics assemblyAwarenessFoundation

Fluxes, Solder Paste and Alloys: J-STD-004, 005, 006 and 609

What the materials on your bench are, how they are classified and how to handle them

Duration
1.5 hours
Modules
4
Final exam
70% to pass
Certificate
No expiry
$59
  • Lifetime access to the course and your certificate
  • Verifiable Certificate of Completion. Certificate does not expire.
  • 3 exam attempts
  • Progress saved to your account on every slide
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$250.75

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Each seat is a single-use code. Send one to each learner; they sign in with their own account and earn their own certificate. Track progress on your Team page.

About this course

Every solder joint on an aerospace or medical board is made from three things: an alloy, a flux and, on an SMT line, a paste that combines them. The jar, the reel and the bottle each carry a classification code that tells you what is inside, how active it is and what it leaves behind. Most people on the floor have never been told what those codes mean. This course fixes that.

You will learn the tin-lead and lead-free alloy families and why they melt differently, why mixing them matters, how J-STD-006 describes an alloy and how J-STD-609 marks a board or component as lead-free, and why pure tin finishes grow whiskers. You will learn what a flux does, how J-STD-004 classifies it by base material, activity and halide content, what no-clean really means and why residue matters under conformal coating. You will learn what is in solder paste, what the powder type number means, how paste is stored, warmed, opened, logged, used on the stencil and disposed of, and where J-STD-005 fits. The final module turns this into daily practice: reading a label, first in first out and expiry, avoiding cross-contamination between alloys, and the documents customers ask for.

The course is for SMT and hand-solder operators, stores and kitting staff, process technicians, inspectors and quality staff at electronics assemblers serving aerospace, defense and medical customers. It teaches awareness of the standards' concepts; your site's procedures and your customer's contract govern. No prior knowledge is needed.

The course closes with a 10-question examination drawn from a bank of 20. On passing you receive a PlanetISO Certificate of Completion with lifetime access to the course. The certificate does not expire.

What you will be able to do

  • Distinguish tin-lead from lead-free alloy families and explain why their melting behaviour changes the process.
  • Explain why mixing alloys and finishes matters and recognise the combinations that need engineering approval.
  • Decode a J-STD-004 flux designation into base material, activity level and halide content.
  • Explain what no-clean means, why residue matters under conformal coating and when cleaning is required.
  • Store, warm, open, log, use and dispose of solder paste in line with the supplier's data and J-STD-005 concepts.
  • Read a J-STD-609 lead-free mark and apply first in first out, expiry and cross-contamination controls on the floor.
  • Identify the material documents a customer or auditor expects and where they come from.

Course outline

  1. 1

    Solder alloys

    Tin-lead and lead-free alloy families, how they melt, why mixing them matters, how J-STD-006 describes an alloy, how J-STD-609 marks lead-free, and why pure tin grows whiskers.

    About 22 minutes, then a module quiz

  2. 2

    Fluxes

    What flux does, how J-STD-004 classifies it by base material, activity and halide content, what no-clean means, and why residue matters under conformal coating.

    About 22 minutes, then a module quiz

  3. 3

    Solder paste

    What paste is made of, what the powder type means, storage and shelf life, temperature logs, stencil life and working time, handling, disposal and where J-STD-005 fits.

    About 24 minutes, then a module quiz

  4. 4

    Daily practice

    Reading a material label, first in first out and expiry, keeping alloys apart, the documents customers ask for, and scenarios from stores, the line and the audit.

    About 20 minutes, then a module quiz

  5. Final examination and certificate

    10 questions drawn from the course bank. Score 70% or higher to receive your Certificate of Completion.

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