A CASE STUDY ON PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS FOR VAPOR PHASE REWORK ON HIGH THERMAL MASS SMT CONNECTOR

摘要

Rework of high thermal mass SMT connectors is challenging and requires use of vapor phase reflow technology. Vapor phase rework on a local vapor phase machine is well suited for this type of repair and offers benefits over conventional convection rework. However, local vapor phase requires longer rework times and manual operator intervention at critical points during the rework cycle which present opportunity for process improvements. Hardware machine updates, software updates and process automation resulted in cycle time reductions of 25% for connector removal and 40% for connector replacement. Error-proofing to remove process variance, additional safety features and reduction in chemical consumption were also achieved.