Product category: Electronics Manufacturing Machinery and Materials
News Release from: Dima SMT Systems NL | Subject: Breeze and Solano
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 6 March 2006
Flexibility is key
to handling lead-free reflow
The success of a reflow oven is not measured in its size or the number of heating zones, it is determined by the ability to create every possible reflow profile
By 1st July 2006, companies selling electronics products to the European Union nations and China must ensure that their products and components comply with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive in order to stay on the single market. This directive aims to minimise the impacts of electrical and electronic equipment on the environment during their life times and when they become waste.
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 6 March 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Manual stencil printer needs no power
A benchtop manual stencil printer is the latest designed for low- to medium-volume surface-mount assembly runs
Pick and place machine handles smaller parts
The Hybrid pick and place system can now handle 0201 components
This means the manufacturers of electronic products will have to convert to a lead-free manufacturing process.
Lead containing solders have been used as an interconnecting and surface coating material in various electrical and electronic applications for decades.
The main driving forces that affect current and future requirements of solders for electronic applications are the demand on the level of performance and the concern over health hazards of lead.
The latter concern had lead to government legislation and regulations that have continued to impact the future use of lead.
Lead and its compounds have been rated as one of the top 17 chemicals that impose the greatest threat to human health.
Further reading
Valve sprays conformal coatings more evenly
Dima has developed a novel spray valve that enables users to spray any available coating material more accurately and repeatedly without any overspray or mist
Conformal coating comes up to date
Dima has developed a complete new range of selective conformal coating systems
Taped components keep production running
Using the Dima Handytaper production engineers can easily package components into any type of tape
Slowly but surely time is running out and decisions need to be made.
Over the last years many companies have been confronted with investments needed to be able to have their production switched over to lead free before the deadline of 1st July.
Ever since the introduction of the first lead free solder paste the question has been 'How advanced should a reflow oven be?'.
The success of a reflow oven is not measured in its size or the number of heating zones, it is determined by the ability to create every possible reflow profile.
A simple calculation will help to explain what is needed.
For most lead free reflow profiles the board needs about 3-5min in the process chambers.
For those companies that produce only small batches of boards the speed of the conveyor is of no big importance.
Therefore if the oven runs at 200mm/min per minute a maximum tunnel length of 1m (200mm x 5min) is required, or if the oven runs at 400mm/min a tunnel length of maximum 2m (400mm x 5min) is required.
The number of zones is a similar story.
The high throughput ovens are using many zones, but in practice several zones are set at the same temperature.
Dividing one long zone into several smaller zones makes it easier to keep the temperature uniform over a longer distance.
In theory only three zones plus one cooling zone is required (ramp-soak-peak), but in practice it is easier to create an ideal profile when adding one extra heating zone.
Both Dima's Breeze and Solano offer a powerful convection heating irrespective of the size and mass of the components.
The unlimited variation of temperature profiles is achieved by the tunnel designs that includes four top heating and four bottom heating zones.
To eliminate the possibility of damage caused by static, the Breeze and Solano include an air ioniser in the cool down zone as standard equipment.
The Breeze and Solano reflow ovens offer full forced hot air heating to maintain consistent edge-to-edge temperatures, regardless of component size or density.
• Dima SMT Systems NL: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• NEW
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Related Business News
Taiwan stocks end down in biggest...
...drop in over 1 yr. Taipei, July 27 (Reuters) - Taiwan shares fell 4.22 percent on Friday to their lowest close in three weeks, marking their largest one-day percentage drop in more than a year, after a sell-off on Wall Street hurt big exporters such as TSMC .
Nippon Oil Aug refining seen flat, eyes Sudan crude
Tokyo, July 27 (Reuters) - Japan's top oil refiner Nippon Oil Corp. will keep its August processing volumes steady versus a year ago to meet summer gasoline demand and is seeking more Nile Blend crude to meet higher utility use.
Fluor Gains Eastman Chemical Gasification Plant Feed Work
Fluor Corporation announced today that it was selected by Eastman Chemical Company to provide front-end engineering and design work for a $1.6 billion gasification project along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Migao Corporation Secures Preferential Natural Gas Prices
Toronto, Ontario-- - Migao Corporation , a leading producer of specialty potash fertilizers for the Chinese market, is pleased to announce that it has negotiated preferential natural gas prices in Sichuan Province from China Petroleum & Chemical Corpora
South Korean envoy to meet Afghan...
...president over hostage crisis. A Seoul presidential envoy heading to Afghanistan will seek an urgent meeting with President Hamid Karzai to try to save 22 South Koreans kidnapped by the Taliban, officials said.
