Thursday, April 17, 2014

The Working Of SMT Reflow Ovens

By Anita Ortega


The performance of any electronic gadgets depends on the segments utilized as well as how well they are appended to their contact pad. Given the exactness with which the parts must be connected, special machines are required to perform this fragile task. The machines that are always present in any genuine electronic assembling company are the smt reflow ovens.

The ovens are intended to aid in reflow soldering; the method whereby some sticky soldering glue which is a mixture of flux and solder is temporarily used to connect electrical parts to the mother board (contact pad). Controlled heating then follows with the focus of melting the solder to permanent interface of parts and the contact pad.

Thanks to this oven, surface mount (smt) components can be attached to the circuit board in a matter of minutes eliminating several labor hours that are necessary if other methods like individual joint soldering is used. The oven is specifically designed to be able to heat the surface melting the solder without damaging any of the electrical components. The typical reflow oven consists of four distinctive stages; preheat, the thermal soak, the reflow and the cooling zone.

In the preheat zone, the incline rate is secured. This is the rate of temperature rise per second. It is normally 1 to 3 degrees for every second. It should not surpass the most extreme incline as this can damage the parts or split the mother board. It can likewise prompt the scattering impact. The solvent in the mixture too begins to dissipate in the zone.

The next process after this is the thermal soak that lasts for one to two minute. This allows for removal of all the solder paste volatiles. The process of oxidation also starts with flux components through flux activation. The temperature has to be right in order to achieve the best results. Higher than required temperatures for instance may cause spattering, oxidation of paste or even balling. If it is too low, the flux may fail to fully activate.

The third stage of reflow takes over from the second phase at the highest possible temperature known as the peak is reached. The peak has to be at least 5 degrees below the tolerable temperature of the component with the lowest temperature toleration.

Ultimately, the cooling zone is the last step. It is utilized to cool the prepared board in a controlled way setting all joints as required. In a proper manner, this stage should prevent any intermetallic formation or even the thermal shock. Faster cooling is however done to so as to accomplish fine grains. All in all, there is a need for efficient control system, something possible with most of the modern designs.

Any firm determined to enhance the effectiveness of their production and profitability in electronic assembly should invest in this machine. There are many online companies that deal in the machine and order could be placed online. This cannot be done blindly. Instead, it pays to fast carry out investigation about the store and the product and get in contact with previous buyers if possible to ensure that the machine is of the desired quality and is correctly priced. This guarantees that the organization does not fall prey to substandard items or deceitful arrangements overall.




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