The Working Of SMT Reflow Ovens

By Anita Ortega


The success of any electronic devices depends not only on the components used but how well they are attached to their contact pad. Given the precision with which the components must be attached, special machines have been designed to accomplish this delicate work. The machines that are never missing in any serious electronic assembly plants 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.

With this machine, the assembly of surface mount (smt) parts on to the circuit board is much easier and several units can be produced in minutes. This eliminates unnecessarily long labor hours as it is usually the case when the traditional method of soldering individual component separately is done. The oven is able to heat and melt the solder at the right temperature leaving no damage to the components or the circuit board. The commonplace reflow oven operates in four stages which are 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 thermal soak zone is the next step lasting for between sixty to one hundred and twenty seconds removing all the solder paste volatiles in the process. The flux segments also begin oxidation of the segment cushions and leads, a procedure known as flux initiation. The temperature must be correct, with low temperatures, flux fails to completely enact while high temperatures leads to spattering, balling or oxidation of the paste.

The reflow zone then takes over. In this zone, the highest possible temperature as determined by the component with the lowest temperature tolerance in the assembly is reached. The common peak is usually from 20 to 40 degree centigrade above liquidus.

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.

If the company intends to improve the efficiency of their production, it pays to buy a new reflow oven. They can be ordered online sometimes with very favorable discounts. The online orders should be done with a lot of care and caution. It is appropriate to fast carry out due diligence, go through the website of the sellers, gather all the information about the specific model to be purchased and talk to customers who have experience dealing with the store. This ensures that the company does not fall prey to substandard products or fraudulent deals as a whole.




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