AUTOMATIC WAVE SOLDERING APPARATUS AND METHOD

• Main Author: SHOHEI MAWATARI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 31.07.2006
• Subjects: CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

AN AUTOMATIC WAVE SOLDERING APPARATUS INCLUDES A SOLDER RESERVOIR (12) FOR HOLDING A SUPPLY OF MOLTEN SOLDER (14) AND A SOLDER NOZZLE (62) VERTICALLY DISPOSED IN THE SOLDER RESERVOIR TO ESTABLISH A SOLDER WAVE (26, 22) THROUGH WHICH A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD IS MOVED. A PAIR OF TRAPEZOIDAL ELEMENTS (76, 78) ARE SECURED WITHIN THE NOZZLE. A Y-SHAPED BAFFLE (84) IS DISPOSED BETWEEN THE TRAPEZOIDAL ELEMENTS TO FORM UPWARDLY INCLINED NARROWED UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM OUTLETS. THE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM OUTLETS ARE INCLINED AT AN ACUTE ANGLE AGAINST AND IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD, RESPECTIVELY. A PAIR OF VALVES (90, 97) ARE DISPOSED AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BAFFLE TO SELECTIVELY OPEN AND CLOSE THE OUTLETS. THE BOTTOM SIDE OF EACH OF THE TRAPEZOIDAL ELEMENTS FORMS A STEP TO PROMOTE TURBULENCE IN THE SOLDER WAVE. THE TRAPEZOIDAL ELEMENTS AND THE BAFFLE COLLECTIVELY SERVE TO INCREASE THE FLOW VELOCITY OF THE MOLTEN SOLDER THROUGH THE OUTLETS.(FIGURE 4)