Selective soldering is one of the processes used in the construction of various electronic assemblies, usually circuit boards. Typically, the process involves the soldering of specific electronic components onto a printed circuit board while leaving other areas of the board unaffected. This is in contrast to various reflow-soldering processes that expose the entire board to molten solder. In practice, selective soldering can refer to any soldering method, from hand soldering to specialized soldering equipment, so long as the method is sufficiently precise to apply the solder only on the desired areas.
It is common for a circuit board to undergo several different soldering processes during its construction. As an example, a circuit board may have all of its less sensitive components, such as resistors, installed and then soldered using an oven-reflow process. The board would then undergo a selective soldering process to install its more sensitive components under different or more controlled conditions, such as within a very specific temperature range.
