Introducing the Heller MK7 Reflow Oven

Heller Industries has unveiled its latest innovation, the Heller MK7 Reflow Oven. This state-of-the-art reflow oven comes with a host of advanced features and cutting-edge technology, aimed at enhancing efficiency, precision, and sustainability in the production of electronic components.

Heller 1936 MK7 Reflow oven

The Next Evolution in Reflow Technology

The Heller MK7 Reflow Oven represents the next evolution in reflow technology, building upon the successes of its predecessors this oven addresses the ever-growing demands of the electronics industry. Designed with both productivity and sustainability in mind, the MK7 is set to become a favorite choice for manufacturers worldwide.

Key Features and Advantages

  • Smart Thermal Profiling: The MK7 oven is equipped with intelligent thermal profiling capabilities, enabling real-time adjustments to the temperature profile during the reflow process. This ensures optimal heat distribution and minimizes the risk of defects, resulting in higher-quality solder joints.
  • Eco-Friendly Design: In an era where environmental concerns are paramount, the Heller MK7 stands out with its eco-friendly design. The oven incorporates energy-efficient heating elements and advanced insulation materials, reducing power consumption and overall carbon footprint.
  • Enhanced User Interface: The Heller MK7 boasts a user-friendly interface, allowing operators to set up and monitor the reflow process with ease. Its intuitive controls and visual indicators enable quick and seamless operation, even for less-experienced personnel.
  • Advanced Conveyor System: The MK7 oven features a precision conveyor system, ensuring smooth and reliable movement of PCBs through the reflow process. This reduces the risk of misalignment or damage to delicate components, optimizing throughput and overall yield.
  • Industry 4.0 Integration: Embracing the concept of Industry 4.0, the Heller MK7 is equipped with smart connectivity options, enabling seamless integration with factory automation systems. This facilitates data exchange and provides valuable insights into production performance for better decision-making.
Heller MK7 advantages

Looking Towards the Future

With the introduction of the Heller MK7 Reflow Oven, the electronics manufacturing landscape is becoming more sustainable. The combination of smart features, user-friendliness, and environmental consciousness will help you to streamline production processes and raise the bar for product quality. Early adopters are expected to see immediate benefits in terms of increased productivity, reduced defects, and enhanced competitiveness.

Availability

The Heller MK7 models are available in the 1800, 1900, 2000 and 2100 series depending on the required throughput.

Introduction and overview

Heller recently introduced the new MK7 generation reflow ovens.

New website for Koh Young

The new Koh Young website is now online!

We are pleased to offer you an optimized and improved user experience. By revising our homepage, we will be able to offer you even more service and functionality in the future.

In addition to a modernized design that reflects the evolution of our company, we present you with a lot of new content and features on the new website. You will also now find regularly updated information about our products and services.

HELLER introduces the 1911MK5-VR nitrogen vacuum reflow oven

Heller 1911MK5-VR Nitrogen Vacuum Reflow Oven

Heller Industries 1911MK5-VR Nitrogen Vacuum reflow oven comprises 11 zones, a vacuum chamber, closed-loop nitrogen atmosphere control and Heller’s award-winning COOL-PIPE flux management system.

Of the oven’s 11 zones, ten deliver convection heating with one infra-red (IR) zone located strategically inside the oven’s vacuum chamber. This delivers proven advantages in void-less solder paste reflow processing, leading to long-term solder joint reliability.

The 1911MK5-VR delivers on ambitious performance metrics to help manufacturers streamline SMT assembly. It targets voiding ratios of less than 2% and cycle times of 40 seconds for single-lane implementation and 20 seconds for dual-lane systems. It maintains Heller’s solder paste reflow specification, including liquidous times of under 60 seconds. In addition, the oven is  suitable for high temperature applications up to 450°C.

Flux Free within the vacuum chamber. In-zone IR Heating prevents flux residues precipitating within the vacuum chamber routine lubrication PM every 4 months.

Advantages and unique features

  • 10 convection heating zones (top & bottom)
  • Replicate standard thermal profiles
  • 1 IR heating zone (Top)
  • Single lane EHC
  • Active heating through the vacuum phase
  • Nitrogen atmosphere
  • 3 cooling zones
  • Cycle times of 40 seconds
  • < 1% Void Rate – Heller vacuum reflow ovens provide best-in-class performance for removing voids in solder joints and interfaces.
  • No Solder or Flux Splatter – Heller vacuum pumps offer closed-loop control for a controlled multi-step pump down and re-fill. This prevents yield-killing solder and flux splatter that can occur with single stage, open-loop vacuum systems.
  • Heated Vacuum Chamber – Heaters allow for peak temperature to be reached inside the vacuum chamber for more process flexibility. High chamber temperatures ensure for no flux buildup inside the chamber.
  • Low Maintenance for Low Operating Costs – Advanced flux management systems allow for less periodic maintenance and fewer required consumables.
  • No Shifting Parts – Heller’s smooth-travel conveyor system ensures that components are not shifted or moved during travel throughout the oven. Boards on conveyor experience minimal vibration during travel – including entering and exiting the vacuum chamber.
  • Highest UPH – Heller vacuum reflow offers an optional dual rail conveyor, for the fastest throughput.
  • Leadership and Experience – With over 5 years’ experience in vacuum reflow, Heller Industries is recognized as a leading supplier of vacuum reflow technology.

Other Heller vacuum reflow models available;

  • Heller 1808MK5-VR (8 Heating Zones with a 2.6m Heated Length)
  • Heller 1808MK5-VHT (High Temperature 450°C)
  • Heller 2043MK5-VR (11 Heating Zones with a 4.3m Heated Length)
  • Heller 2156MK5-VR (15 Heating Zones with a 5.6m Heated Length)

This Vacuum Reflow Oven will be displayed during;
Heller / Europlacer Stand
SMT-Nuremberg Exhibition
Hall 4, Stand 4-259

EPM expands wave solder portfolio with EPM CORE

With the introduction of the EPM CORE we can offer our customers a compact inline soldering machine.

This new machine perfectly fills the gap between the table-top Mini Waver and the mid-range Economy machines.

As with all EPM soldering machines you can rely on the Swiss-made quality, robustness and the reliable soldering results.

EPM CORE CIG
EPM CORE 400 SIG

Please visit our EPM CORE page for more details.

Cost-Efficient Laser Depaneling

LPKF logo

Why depaneling with a laser is the most efficient solution

For years now, there have been rumors going around in the electronics industry that laser depaneling is very costly. This may have been true for investments in laser machines ten or more years ago – but when considering the operating expenses, especially with newer systems, the situation looks quite different today. In the end, depaneling with laser systems has become by far the most efficient method for a wide range of applications and the cutting results are excellent, which means that the highest quality standards are also met.

The trend in the price-to-performance ratio for current laser systems, especially with respect to production of rigid PCBs, is quite obvious: The cost of depaneling based on the effective cutting speed has fallen to approximately one tenth of what it was a decade ago. (Fig. 1)

There are two main drivers for this phenomenon: on one hand material costs are much lower today than they were a few years ago, and on the other hand, the performance of laser systems has improved dramatically due to integration of more powerful lasers and the more advanced process know-how developed by leading laser machine manufacturers such as LPKF.

Price / performance ratio
Figure 1: Price/performance ratio

Material Savings and Fewer Upstream Processes

With the use of modern laser systems such as LPKF’s CuttingMaster 3000, savings in terms of PCB material of more than 30% on average can be achieved. This is made possible by utilizing a full-perimeter cut through the panels with the laser, rather than cutting tabs of pre-routed boards. With a full-perimeter cut, PCBs can be spaced very closely together for minimal material loss; taking full advantage of the narrow kerf width of a laser tool which is typically around 0.15 mm vs. a 1-2 mm router bit. This eliminated the space that is otherwise occupied by pre-routing lanes around each PCB on the panel. Another advantage is the variable and exact laser guidance and the narrowest possible cut to accommodate even the most intricate geometries, ensuring optimum material utilization. Through these factors, laser systems can realize even greater savings potential, especially for smaller-sized PCBs.
In addition, the costs of upstream process steps are reduced, and users also profit from indirect savings because of the higher number of PCBs per panel: The handling time for the individual PCB is reduced and human errors caused by manual handling are minimized.

Low Operating Expenses, Minimal Downtime

In addition, unlike with milling machines, there are no significant operating expenses. Background: The laser as a tool has no mechanical wear and the quality of the laser is constant. There is no need for regular replacement of saw blades or router bits also eliminating the unproductive downtime and cost to replace such tools.
Preventive maintenance work can be done at longer and planned intervals because the replacement of machine wear parts is done during regular preventive maintenance deployments. Through this, the downtime can be reduced to a minimum.

Error Minimization and Quality Improvement

For high volumes, laser machines integrated into production lines are often advantageous. (Fig. 2) Extensive automation often reduces manual errors. By using a laser for PCB depaneling operations, both dust and stress to the PCB are eliminated, drastically improving production yield. Unlike traditional mechanical depaneling methods, laser depaneling machines, do not generate milling dust which can become airborne and cause quality issues anywhere in the plant, as well as cause health problems for employees exposed to these airborne particulates. Lasers also don’t create the mechanical stresses that are imparted when using a dicing saw or router, which could jeopardize the functionality of sensitive components on the circuit board or even compromise the integrity of the board itself. PCB manufacturers achieve a higher quality and a better yield if laser depaneling system are being used. These two factors together provide a significant advantage, which traditional depaneling technologies cannot equally provide.

LPKF  inline laser depaneling
Laser depaneling system automatic loading/unloading

Energy Efficiency

Even if it seems at first that the energy use for depaneling was negligible for many production facilities, this factor is nowadays often considered more carefully. Over the years, the performance of the laser has risen considerably while their overall power consumption in relation has dropped significantly. This translates into a sixfold increase in overall energy efficiency – a remarkable factor that can currently only be achieved by laser technology. (Fig. 3)

LPKF Energy efficient processing
Changes in energy efficiency

Conclusion

When considering the above-mentioned aspects in terms of the cost-effectiveness of laser systems for depaneling of rigid and flexible PCBs, modern laser machines are the tools of choice, especially for high throughput applications. These systems save on material costs, handling efforts, and improved production quality which equates to higher yield. The return on this investment is easy math.

Link to original article on LPKF website 

Koh Young Joins the IPC-DPMX Consortium to Further Enable Smart FactoryAutomation

Atlanta, GA – Koh Young, the industry leader in True3D™ measurement-based inspection solutions, proudly announced it joined the IPC-DPMX (IPC-2581) Consortium to advance the adoption of a data and transfer methodology, which will improve efficiency and reduce costs for electronicsmanufacturers. Combining IPC-DPMX (IPC-2581) with IPC-CFX will help deliver engineering data directly to machines to streamline the process andenable smart factory automation.

IPC-DPMX is a generic standard for printed circuit board and assembly manufacturing description data and transfer methodology.
Developed in 2004 by IPC, IPC-DPMX is used for transmitting information between a printed circuit board designer and a manufacturing or assembly facility. For nearly every step in the industrial process flow, IPC-DPMX offers a standard to help companies ensure superior manufacturability, quality, reliability, and consistency in electronics assemblies built for their products.

“Koh Young are leaders in the integration of data exchange with IIoT-driven MES solutions and other machine technologies within the SMT line, satisfying their customers’needs through interoperable and holistic smart factory solutions”, states Michael Ford, Senior Director of Emerging Industry Strategy at Aegis Software. “Using the 100% machine-automation readable DPMX design file, together with the context ualization of work-assignment and schedule, deliverable using CFX from the Digital Manufacturing Engineering (DME) component of MES, allows Koh Young the opportunity to feed-back manufacturing intelligence to design in the same format that strongly augments design for manufacturing activity, decreasing lead-times and costs, as well as improving end-product quality and reliability,” he concluded.

Traditionally, it could take days for manufacturers to compile the necessary file bundle needed for production. Worse, the antiquated data formats may exclude critical elements like transfer stack-up data, materials, design intent, and more. Today, IPC-DPMX has streamlined the process. What took days, now takes minutes thanks to intelligent data exchange between OEM designers, printed circuit board manufacturers, and electronics manufacturers, including the vital equipment suppliers. The IPC-DPMX and IPC-CFX combination provides production flexibility and advances the movement towards Industry 4.0.

“Koh Young leverages its True3D™ measurement-based inspection solutions to simplify the lives of our customers by delivering innovative inspection technologies that increase productivity,” said Brent Fischthal, Senior Marketing Manager for Koh Young America. “To that end, the adoption of IPC-DPMX and IPC-CFX perfectly aligns with our charter to make life easier for our partner customers.”

As demonstrated with its efforts involving IPC-CFX and IPC-Hermes-9852, Koh Young is a strong driver of standardization for the global electronics assembly industry. “Part of our focus requires converting an extremely complicated set of data into usable information for effective decision making”,added Heriberto Cuevas Velazquez, Project Manager at Koh Young America. “We support IPC-DPMX as an open, neutral standard for efficient PCB data transfer to simplify programming and ensure accurate data, including inspection requirements.”

For information about the Consortium or details about joining, visit www.IPC2581.com. You can learn more about Koh Young and its best-in-class inspection and smart factory solutions by visiting kohyoung.com.

MicroCare releases new IPA based cleaning products

MicroCare released new products to provide safe and high purity cleaning in almost any production environment.

As the world sees the COVID-19 virus makes traditional cleaning products difficult to find, many industries are looking for ways to effectively clean their products and workplaces. In response to those customer requests, MicroCare is expanding its line of electronics and surface cleaners. The purpose is to provide customers with effective fluids to keep surfaces clean.

The new aerosol MultiClean™ MultiTask Surface Cleaner Spray and the new presaturated wipes feature a 70% high purity IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) and 30% D.I. (Deionized) water mixture that evaporates more slowly, allowing the cleaning fluid to remain on surfaces longer, for better cleaning.

The new cleaners remove flux and white residue from circuit boards, solder paste and uncured epoxy residues from stencils, fingerprints, grease and light oils commonly found in medical device and electronics manufacturing. With excellent materials compatibility, it is safe to use on a variety of metals and plastics.

MCC-MLC117

  • MultiTask Surface Cleaner – Aerosol
  • 70% Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) 30% DI Water
  • Stock: Available for immediate despatch.

MCC-MLCW / MCC-MLCW

  • Pre-saturated wipes (and refills)
  • 70% Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) 30% DI Water
  • Stock: Available for immediate despatch.

MCC-IPAL (Isopropyl alcohol)

  • IPA 1 Litre Containers
  • 99.8% Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA)
  • In stock

Does your inspection strategy include Reflow Process Inspection?

Do you need better defect analysis? Combine reflow data with your SPI and AOI data for true defect data analytics.
Without RPI you don’t have the complete picture!

KIC reflow process inspection

There is SPI for Screen Printing, AOI for Pick and Place, and there is RPI for the Reflow Oven.
KIC’s RPI provides production reports such as yield analysis, DPMO, Pareto Charts, Cpk and much much more.
The RPI is an automatic system that, once programmed, works in the background without any operator involvement.
Its capabilities include:

  • Provides process deficiency information to help correct defect issues quickly
  • Shares all pertinent process and production data in real-time
  • Automatically profiles each and every PCB
  • Provides instant alarm for out-of-spec situations
  • Automatic SPC charting, including Cpk
  • Process traceability down to individual PCBs
  • Prevents human error such as production of the wrong PCBs or wrong oven recipe settings (bar code required)

The KIC RPI improves quality and throughput, and is universally applicable. Inspection is independent of the oven model, personnel, PCB types and production site.

For more details please visit our product information page or contact us.