This paper describes a new technique for the monitoring andautomated control of the reflow soldering process. The new techniquecombines state of the art infra-red (IR) sensor technology, coupled withapplication specific process control software, to provide a uniquecapability to both monitor actual product temperatures during thesoldering process and to use this information to modify the processsettings. The development of techniques to allow rapid variation of theheat transfer from the oven to the in-process Printed Circuit Assemblies(PCAs) allows the system to automatically adjust the soldering oven'sprocess settings for each individual PCA passing through it. Thisproduct-by-product profiling facilitates the assurance of consistentthermal histories and also allows the oven to optimise its energyconsumption to the demands of each product. Archiving of the reflowtemperature profiles also provides full traceability to the reflowprocess. The incorporation of IR sensing technology also aids indetermining/verifying the oven profile at the introduction of new PCAdesigns. This paper presents an overview of the construction andoperation of the system and outlines the technical challenges that havebeen met and overcome
展开▼
