Archive for category OvenCHECKER
Heat Flow Happens
Posted by Paul Austen in M.O.L.E. MAP, OvenCHECKER, OvenRIDER, Profiling, Reflow Oven Verification, Reflow Profiling, Thermal Musings, Thermal Profiling on May 24th, 2011
An often misunderstood concept is heat flow and how it can influence the temperature of the product being heated so here is Wikipedia’s definition of heat flow, followed by a discussion of our own on the subject.
Energy needs a conductor in order to flow
1) An energy difference between two objects.
and
2) There is a conductor to act as a bridge enabling the energy to flow.
Energy always flows through a conductor from an object of high energy to an object of low energy. In this illustration, the high-energy object is a moving hammer, the low energy object is the table and the conductor is a block sitting on the table.
When you hit the block with the hammer, the energy contained in the moving hammer is transferred to the block when it hits. Some is also conducted through the block and transferred to the table it is sitting on. However, because the block is not a perfect conductor, which is true for most things, some of the energy stays in block. That energy bounces between the molecules of the block like balls on a pool table.
Because the molecules rub up against each other, and there is friction between them, some of the moving energy of the hammer is converted to heat energy, which causes a rise in the block’s temperature. It all comes down to molecular motion in an imperfect conductor creating friction that raises its temperature. Therefore, temperature increase is a way of observing energy flow, and energy flow that causes a temperature rise is called heat flow. Read the rest of this entry »
Diverse Needs, Diverse Solutions – We’ve got an App for That!
Posted by Paul Austen in M.O.L.E. MAP, MegaRIDER, OvenCHECKER, OvenRIDER, Reflow Profiling, Thermal Profiling on March 29th, 2010
How many different MOLE profilers and Test Pallets does it take to monitor a reflow solder machine? It depends on who you are and why you are monitoring it? We just want to make sure there are as many tools as there are reasons for running a thermal profile. Here are a few good reasons:
1. “I’m from the Metrology lab and it’s time for the annual calibration of your reflow oven.” We’ve got an app for that. After you’ve finished with the oven’s calibration procedure, you can run the MegaRIDER-20 with a Process Test Pallet to see if the machine is uniform across the conveyor width and has the same heating capacity as it did the last calibration or maintenance.
2. “I’m the Manufacturing Engineer and our QC Department wants me to show that this oven is in control.” We’ve got an app for that. You probably need more information than the once a year Metrology profile can provide. So weekly you can an OvenRIDER and see that every zone in the oven is performing the same using X-Bar R charts to prove it.
3. “I’m on the New Product introduction team and I need a good recipe to solder a new board without killing the parts.” We’ve got an app for that. The Super M.O.L.E.® Gold thermal profiler will let you connect T/Cs to the board to see exactly what’s going on, thermally, on the areas where you and the designer have the most concern. Use the Prediction tools in the new MAP software to lock in the perfect recipe.
4. “I’m a Line Technician and I have to know my reflow oven is ready to run product without all the wires and circuit board stuff.” We’ve got an app for that. OvenCHECKER is one pallet loaded with the most powerful profiler on the market today. It takes no more time to run than the first production board and it lets you know if the reflow oven is ready or not. No downloading, no comparing numbers on a chart, just Go, or No-Go.
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