Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Understanding The SMT Reflow Ovens

By Anita Ortega


The performance of any electronic gadgets depends on components used as well as how they are soldered on the mother bother that acts as the contact pad. Normally, high level of accuracy and precision is necessary when arranging and soldering the components on their position. This is difficult to achieve without causing damages and assembly firms normally resort to machines designed for the job. The most common of these machines 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 ramp-rate is established. This is the rate of temperature increase per second. It is usually 1 to 3 degrees per second. It must not exceed the maximum slope as this can cause thermal shock damaging components or cracking the mother board in the process. It can also lead to the spattering effect. The solvent in the paste also starts to evaporate in this 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.

In the reflow zone, the highest possible temperature that is conceivable as set by the component that has the lowest tolerable temperature is reached. The basic peak as a rule is from twenty to forty degree centigrade above liquidus.

Lastly, the cooling zone finishes the process. It is used to cool the processed board in a controlled manner solidifying all joints in the process. If done properly, it should prevent intermetallic formation and thermal shock. In order to achieve fine grains that are mechanically sound, faster cooling may be chosen.

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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