Printed Circuit Board Assembly & PCB Design SMT Electronics Assembly Manufacturing Forum

Printed Circuit Board Assembly & PCB Design Forum

SMT electronics assembly manufacturing forum.


Reflow Oven

StevenP.

#17777

Reflow Oven | 4 October, 2001

Hello everyone!

Can somebody explain the advantages/disadvantages of a conveyer type reflow oven VS a batch oven. In conveyer type ovens, is the belt(conveyer) moving at a constant rate? If I have board that requires 20 seconds in pre-heat, 60 seconds at a melting temp., and 45 seconds at max temp., and the zones are the same width with the conveyer moving at a constant rate, how can I achieve this profile? Are batch ovens reliable in achieving specified temperatures?

any help would be appreciated.

steve

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#17786

Reflow Oven | 5 October, 2001

Steven,

Batch vs. conveyorized is all about production rate. The conveyorized tend to deliver higher production rates. The conveyor runs at a constant speed. You must use a "profiler" device to establish a recipe for the product you want to solder. Batch ovens can be realiable, but as with most equipment some are better than others.

PeteC

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Hussman

#17788

Reflow Oven | 5 October, 2001

Hey Steven,

Achieving the proper profile like you described does require you to engineer proper conveyor speeds and zone temps. Most conveyorized ovens have the inside of the ovens divided into zones. Each zone has a top and bottom heater that can also be independently controlled as well. The first step is to determine what size over you'll need. The bigger the board, the longer the oven, which also mean more zones. A profiling gizmo is a must as well, to verify what your oven is doing.

I always try to set-up my ovens so that the temps for different product are similar or the same, and vary my conveyor speed to achieve the proper profile (which is dictated from the solder paste manufacturer). It eliminated any downtime that it would take an oven to heat up or cool down between various products.

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Reflow Oven