What is convection soldering?

With the convection soldering systems in the Vision series, the soldering process is carried out on the basis of heat transfer via the flow of gases. As an inert, protective gas, nitrogen is the ideal heat transfer medium and thus prevents damaging oxidation in the soldering process.

How do reflow ovens work?

The modern solder reflow oven use the concepts of radiation and convection combined. Hheat is emitted by ceramic heat element with infrared radiation, but it doesn’t deliver it to a PCB directly. The heat will transfer to a heat regulator first to make heat output even.

How do I choose a reflow oven?

Reflow ovens are sized primarily based on the required throughput….Typical solder reflow Profile Targets:

1. Peak temperature = 240+/-5°C.
2. TAL/Time above liquidus (221) = 30 to 60 seconds.
3. Soak (activation) = 150 to 200°C for 0-60 seconds.
4. Ramps = 2.5°C/second max for heating, -1.5°C/second for cooling.

Where does the vapor come from in a reflow oven?

The vapor comes from boiling perfluoropolyether, an inert heat transfer liquid. In contrast with the convection reflow oven, the vapor phase reflow oven has a much smaller footprint, and the PCB assembly moves vertically up and down instead of sideways.

Can a reflow oven heat up to 80°C?

The air over the vapor blanket, however, does not heat up more than 50° to 80°C. The heat transfer fluids such as perfluropolyether used in modern vapor phase reflow ovens do not contain CFCs or other harmful ingredients that could limit transport and storage of these liquids.

How is reflow soldering used in a convection oven?

The reflow soldering of through-hole components using solder paste in a convection oven process is called intrusive soldering. The goal of the reflow process is for the solder paste to reach the eutectic temperature at which the particular solder alloy undergoes a phase change to a liquid or molten state.

Why was vapor phase soldering used for reflowing?

Vapor Phase soldering was the process of choice in reflow soldering as it provided the easiest way of heat transfer for the newly developed SMD technique. The soldering of SMT boards was very convenient when using Vapor Phase because of its excellent heat transfer capabilities.