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Next the components are installed on those pads, and the solder paste will hold them in position until they are firmly soldered in place. The solder reflow process first starts with applying solder paste to all of the surface mount pads on the board. The most widely used method of soldering components for mass production, however, is the solder reflow process, which is used primarily to solder surface mount components to the circuit board. PCB assemblers will use wave soldering systems for mass production of boards or automated selective soldering processes for specific applications. First, there’s the traditional method of hand soldering them, where a technician uses a soldering iron and works on each connection separately. Introduction to the Solder Reflow OvenĮlectronic components can be soldered onto a printed circuit board in a couple of different ways. Let’s look at how the solder reflow oven is used for this process, and what you as a designer need to know to make sure that the process runs smoothly. This process completes the assembly of the board by melting the solder to form good solid solder joints between the components and the board.
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Using a combination of radiated heat and heat convection, the solder reflow oven delivers a carefully regulated flow of consistent heat to the PCB. The industrial ovens used to reflow solder on a printed circuit board are intricate tools.
#Reflow soldering oven how to#
When the oven is an industrial version used to reflow PCB solder, it’s even more important to know how to use it. That’s because an oven produces a lot of heat, and if used carelessly will create a disaster. You’ve probably seen the same scenes smoke rolling out of the oven, disappointed family members ordering a pizza, and nothing left but blackened cinders where there should have been a magnificent turkey, ham, casserole, or dessert. One of the more common themes I’ve noticed in holiday movies is the unfortunate person who destroys dinner in the oven.
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