Development of High-Speed Pb-Free Reflow Ovens
by Etsuko Iwasaki * and Kousuke Nakao *Taiwanese manufacturers of personal computers have achieved rapid growth
and are seeking to penetrate the mainland Chinese markets in order to obtainfurther expansion of their operations and profits. They were supplying the market with personal
computers under its own brand, but is changing over to a business model that concentrates
on OEM supply to computer firms in Japan, North America and Europe. In addition assembling
personal computers, they are also actively engaged in the assembly of other devices such as
mobile phones and LCD monitors, and have grown to be a major EMS.
In their search for profits, Taiwanese users are demanding reflow ovens that offer higher productivity and reduced running costs. Our Salamander line achieved a major share of the Taiwan
market, and we have set to work to develop new products that will respond to customers’ needs.
We have taken as the new product concept a multi-zone structure that is conducive to higher
productivity, and achieves a level of heating performance that is fully compatible with the Pb-freeprocess that is due to be implemented soon. And despite the large size of the system, nitrogenconsumption is held to a level comparable to that of small-scale systems.
This system, which we have christened the “continental system”, came on the market in May,
2004, and as of October some 60 have been shipped.

ABSTRACT1.

INTRODUCTION

It is some time now since China has been called the manufacturing powerhouse of the world, and there is a strong
trend in the electronics and other fields for Japaneseand Taiwanese manufacturers to penetrate that market.
Recently the Pb-free process has partly been implemented, and Taiwanese users have been particularly anxious
to obtain reflow ovens that will achieve higher performance and higher productivity and be compatible withstrictly Pb-free processes. To meet these needs we have
set to work on developing the Salamander line of large,
multi-zone reflow systems. The characteristics and functions that users want are as follows:(1) Easy adaptability to Sn-Ag (tin-silver-based) Pb-freesoldering;(2) No effect on products due to re-adherence of flux,
combined with easy maintenance, including flux
cleaning;(3) Reduction in running cost;(4) Inexpensive products;(5) Ability to achieve quick delivery.
In order to satisfy all of these requirements we have carried out a product development program using an all-new
concept based on a fundamental re-evaluation of existing
system designs. Photo 1 shows the appearance of theSalamander XNK-1245 continental system developed inthis program.

2.

DEVELOPMENTAL CONCEPT

2.1 Characteristics
2.1.1 Heating Characteristics
The most basic aspect of reflow oven performance isheating capacity, and this can be estimated and measured with reference to the precision with which the target
temperature profile is traced. In the process of making
Pb-free mounting practicable, the basic conditions of thetemperature profile have changed moment by momentfrom circumstances such as the problem of heat resistance of the components. Figure 1 shows the basic
temperature profile conditions adopted in developing* Surface Mounting Engineering Dept., Electronic
Components Div., Electronics and Automotive Systems Co.

Photo 1

Appearance of the XNK-1245 system.

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Figure 1

Basic temperature profile conditions for Pb-freesurface mounting.

the reflow oven. If we adopt 240°C as the upper limit forsoldering temperature from the heat resistance conditionsof the electronic components, the temperature range ∆ Tpermissible for Sn-Ag-Cu solder is 20°C. And if we further
set the lower control value for the melting temperature of
the solder at 230°C, the permissible value of ∆ T is lessthan 10°C. In grappling with the problems of developing and improving reflow ovens, the target is to achievea heating performance that clears this guideline for ∆ T.
Achieving a reduction in ∆ T means improving the performance of the convection heating engine, as represented
by the heat transfer coefficient α (W/m2K).
2.1.2 Cooling Characteristics
In Pb-free mounting, another important aspect to becontrolled is the high-temperature holding time, which islimited by the conditions for heat resistance of the components. Thus strengthening cooling capacity as a meansof controlling the cooling curve of the temperature profileis also an important topic.
2.2 Flux Collection
In order to prevent the adherence of flux to the structuralmembers inside the oven or to the transport section, acollection mechanism must be provided, but in consideration of ease of maintenance, it is important to reducecleaning frequency. The targets aimed at in this development project obviously included reduction in cleaning frequency, as well as improvements in ease of cleaning andflux collection capacity.
2.3 Reduced Cost
To respond to customers’ pursuit of profit, reductions inequipment cost and running cost are important requirements. For this reason we aimed to transfer the facilities for manufacturing the new Pb-free reflow oven to
Furukawa AVC Electronics (SUZHOU) in China in orderto achieve even greater cost savings advantages than in
the past. And for lower running costs, we also aimed at
reductions in the amount of nitrogen used and in electric
power consumption.
2.4 Quicker Delivery
For an EMS, winning orders from customers requires
immediate installation of mass-production facilities, and itis necessary to respond with much quicker delivery times
than in the past. We therefore paid attention in systemdesign to greater interchangeability of system components, and as far as possible to the elimination of theincreased component count due to conveyer transport
direction.

3.

HEATING STRUCTURE

3.1 Fundamental Heating Concept
The heat transfer coefficient α , which is a basic characteristic related to the reduction of ∆ T, may be represented
by the equation in Figure 2 as a parameter that indicates
the transient heat quantity per unit of time, unit of area
and unit of temperature difference of the hot air streamthat is discharged from the nozzles raising board temperature. The value of α is higher as the air speed and air
volume become larger.
The results for heat transfer coefficient α will differ withthe method and conditions of measurement. The heattransfer coefficient used here is the rise in temperature ofa steel plate (S45C) measuring 250 × 250 × 2 mm.

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Figure 2

Heat transfer coefficient α and equation for basic
heating capacity.

Meanwhile the hot air stream above the board can also
cause the displacement or shifting of components, sothat the appropriate hot air conditions that can be used incomponent mounting are restricted to an extremely narrow range. In the “continental system”, we have adopted
a convection heating engine that upgrades the basic
heating capacity to the greatest extent possible giventhese restrictive conditions.
The specific features of the convection engine are as
follows:(1) Removal of the heat resistant layer (adherent bottom layer) by the impinging of a perpendicular turbulent flow;(2) Design of hot air nozzle configuration in such a waythat no horizontal turbulent flow (dynamic pressurein the horizontal direction) is generated;(3) Design of nozzle gangs and turbo engine so as tocreate a uniform hot air stream of high pressureand high-density;(4) A flow-line simulation design for the hot air stream(free jet flow) that reduces the face-to-face tem-

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Development of High-Speed Pb-Free Reflow Ovens

perature interference between the top and bottom
nozzles.
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Convection heating engine.

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Photo 2

Appearance of nozzle panel for hot-air discharge.

���Figure 3 and Photo 2 show the convection heating
engine that is installed in the “continental system”. Figure
4 shows a typical temperature profile for the test boardof this system, and Photo 3 shows the test boards used.
Even for a highly complex test board, ∆ T was less than 10°C, making it suitable for Pb-free soldering.
The characteristic of this convection heating engine isthat it adopts a method whereby immediately after the
hot air stream that is discharged in the perpendicular
direction impacts the board and becomes turbulent, thestream discharged from the vicinity is sucked in verticallyand collected, so that no turbulence is permitted to arisein the horizontal direction. By balancing the various conditions of discharge and intake, it was possible to comeup with a convection engine that combines low horizontal flow with low face-to-face temperature interference
between the top and bottom nozzles.
3.2 Top/Bottom Differential Heating
The top/bottom differential heating method, which varies the quantity of heat supplied to the top and bottom
sides of the board, produces the effect of suppressing
a rise in component temperature while maintaining hightemperatures at the soldered joints. In the past this method achieved its effect by supplying the top and bottom
sides using different heat sources—hot air and far infrared heating from an IR panel heater.
In the “continental system” it was proposed to achieve
this effect by means of a hot air heating oven, adopting amethod of hot air discharge that reduces the face-to-facetemperature interference between the top nozzles andthe bottom nozzles. Figure 5 shows the principle of thisapproach to reducing temperature interference.

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Figure 4

Typical temperature profile for test board.

Photo 3

Test boards.

Figure 5

Principle of reducing temperature interference
between top and bottom nozzles.

By making the free jet flows of hot air reaching the passline laminar, and aspirating and collecting them from thevicinity in the perpendicular direction, it is possible tocontrol the distance that the hot air reaches, making it
possible to reduce top/bottom temperature interference.
In the “continental system” it was possible, using thismethod, to have a difference in the temperature of hot air
impinging on the top and bottom surfaces of the board offrom 10 to 20°C. Figure 6 shows a typical case of mounting using top/bottom differential heating.
In Figure 6a we see an example of a temperature profile
created assuming a conventional hot air oven, with thesame hot air temperature setting for both top and bottom. Figure 6b, on the other hand, shows an example of

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Development of High-Speed Pb-Free Reflow Ovens��������������� ��������� ������ ������ ���
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Zone
Top heater
temp. (°C)

1

2

3

4

5

6

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Cooling-1 Cooling-2

Zone

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Cooling-1 Cooling-2

180 180 180 180 215 260 240

1500Top heater
temp. (°C)

175 175 175 175 205 250 230

150

0Bottom heater
180 180 180 180 215 260 240
temp. (°C)

150—

Bottom heater
185 185 185 185 230 275 255
temp. (°C)

150—

Components temp.

Soldering temp.

Components temp.

Peak temp. Holding time Peak temp. Holding time ∆ T(°C)
over 200°C (s)(°C)
over 230°C (s)Electrolytic
capacitor

228

53

230

0

BGA

234

53

233

23

3.5

Soldering temp.

Peak temp. Holding time Peak temp. Holding time ∆ T(°C)
over 200°C (s)(°C)
over 230°C (s)Electrolytic
capacitor

223

51

235

17

BGA

229

50

234

24

1.0

a) Same hot air temperature at top and bottomb) Different hot air temperatures at top and bottom
Figure 6 Typical case of mounting using top/bottom differential heating.

top/bottom differential heating in which the shape of thetemperature profile was adjusted to that in Figure 6a andthe hot air temperatures for top and bottom differed by asmuch as 20°C.
The result was that under conditions of differential heating, in which the quantity of heat supplied from the top
has been reduced relatively, the temperature of the bulkof the components mounted on the top surface of theboard can be lowered by approximately 5°C, reducing
the thermal stress on electronic components. And sinceat the same time it was possible to raise the soldering
temperature, ample solder wetting time could be secured,with the result that an improvement in the quality of soldered joints was obtained.
The top/bottom differential heating method dramatically
expands the range of products to which the Pb-free process can be applied.
3.3

Number of Zones (Total Heating Length) andHeating PerformanceWith respect to system performance, in addition to
improvements in the temperature characteristics, as
typified by basic heating performance, there is a needfor higher productivity. By means of the improvements
in basic heating performance discussed up to the previous section, it became possible to effect drastic controlof ∆ T performance and component bulk temperature.
To achieve higher soldering productivity, however there
is a need, besides these rate-determining conditions,to secure pre-heating time and solder melting time.
Accordingly in the “continental system”, the total heating

length was extended by increasing the number of heating zones, thereby providing higher productivity. Figure
7 shows an example of raising productivity by increasing
the number of zones. It was confirmed that even with aconveyer speed 25 % faster than that of the conventional
system, it was possible to achieve a similar temperature
profile. Figure 8 shows system layouts.

4.

COOLING PERFORMANCEIn the conventional reflow oven the rate of decrease of
temperature after passage through the high-temperature
reflow zone has been taken as an indicator of cooling
performance. More recently, however, in Pb-free mounting, it has been necessary to have temperature control
across the falling-temperature process, for example,
simultaneous control of both solder melting retention time(minimum value) and high-temperature dwell time (maximum value) of components with poor heat resistance.
With a view to controlling profile shape in the intermediate processes of cooling, we have adopted for the XNK1245 “continental system” a stage-wise cooling methodof two-zone structure, in which a cooling zone of intermediate temperature, subject to temperature control, isincorporated into the early stage and a cooling zone inwhich the temperature of the atmosphere is kept low isincorporated into the later stage (Photo 4). Specificallythe early stage uses the same convection engine as
the heating zone, while the later stage uses an atmospheric cooling method, either air-cooled or water-cooled.
Accordingly, for temperature profile standards requiring

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Development of High-Speed Pb-Free Reflow Ovens��������� ������ ������ ������ ���

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a) Previous XNK-945 system with conveyer speed of 80 cm/min
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100 cm/min

Raising productivity by increasing number of zones.

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Figure 8high-speed cooling, adoption of a water-cooled method isrecommended. By means of this 2-stage cooling method,it has been possible to achieve, in addition to a high-temperature retention time control function, a steep cooling
gradient and a flux-collecting function.

System layouts.

lecting vessel. Collecting the flux in the vessel prevents
re-vaporization in the air stream after condensation andliquefaction.

a) Air-cooled systemb) Water-cooled system
Photo 4 Cooling system designs.

5.

FLUX COLLECTION SYSTEM

Photo 5 shows the flux collection system. The fumes
from the flux that are in the surrounding atmosphere aredeposited in those parts of the oven where the temperature is low (below the condensation point). Since theiradherence to structural members and the like can giverise to operational failure, cleaning must be carried out
regularly. In the “continental system”, the atmospheric
fumes are condensed inside a cooled unit, and as theamount of condensate increases it accumulates in a col-Photo 5

6.

Flux collection system (center part).

CONTROL OF OXYGENCONCENTRATION

Reducing nitrogen consumption is an extremely important aspect of controlling running costs. In the “continental system”, an independent environment is achieved ineach of the hot air zones, minimizing to the extent possi-

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Development of High-Speed Pb-Free Reflow Ovens

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Nitrogen supply method.

To respond to the need for quick delivery, the system
was arranged with a left-right symmetrical design, using aframe construction that is independent of the direction oftransport. In systems in use until now, the time required
from the customer specifying the direction of transport
to the start-up of component fabrication was at least 1.5
months. The adoption of a right/left symmetrical designmeans systems can be semi-finished—from the frame,bottom heating unit, top heating unit and wiring, rightup to addition of the transport system (conveyer). Thus
when specifications are finally decided, all that needs tobe done is to add the transport system and outer paneling, and carry out adjustments, allowing systems to be
shipped in as little as three weeks. Figure 8 shows an
overview.
To achieve lower costs the component count was drastically decreased, and screws were decreased and low-

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Figure 10 Relationship between oxygen concentration andamount of nitrogen supplied.

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SYSTEM DESIGNED FOR QUICKER
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ble any interference between zones due to the movementof hot air back and forth. Further by combining a gas curtain effect formed by the discharge and suction of the hot
air with the inlet/outlet labyrinth structure that has beenused in the past, we have achieved less oxygen concentration with the lowest level of nitrogen consumption in
the industry. And achieving accurate flow distribution toeach of the motors using the header pipes and orifices,
we have controlled differences in oxygen concentration
among zones. Figure 9 shows an overall view of the nitrogen supply method, and Figure 10 shows the relationshipbetween oxygen concentration and amount of nitrogen
supplied. Despite the method using a powerful hot air
stream, only a little over 200 l/min of nitrogen suppliedbrings about an oxygen concentration in the oven of 100
ppm.
Figure 11 shows the stability of oxygen concentration
under conditions of continuous board supply. Figure 11
shows ten glass-epoxy boards measuring 250 mm wideby 330 mm long by 1.6 mm thick fed continuously at a
spacing of one board at a nitrogen supply rate of 200 l/m
with oxygen concentration in the oven controlled to 300
ppm. It can be seen that even when the boards are fed
continuously, there is virtually no change in the oxygen
concentration in the oven.

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Figure 11 Stability of oxygen concentration under continuous supply.

cost components used as a means to reduce the numberof assembly processes. In particular the heating units
use large numbers of identical components so that evena small saving in cost results in significant overall costsavings. At present quality assurance has progressed
well domestically, and, with the start-up of manufacturing
operations in the China plant, further cost reductions are
anticipated. Table 1 shows the outline specifications of
the XNK-1245 and XNK-1045 “continental systems” developed in this project.

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Development of High-Speed Pb-Free Reflow Ovens

Table 1

Outline specifications of Salamander continental
systems.
New Line-up

Length (mm)Overall dimensions

XNK-1245

XNK-1045

6,300

5.680

Width (mm)1,300

Height (mm)1,397Max. board width (mm)Number of zones

Heating
Cooling460
12 (11)10 (9)

2 (3)

2 (3)

3,300~3,600

2,700~3,000

Power consumption (kVA)

66

56

Weight (kg)

2,700

2,500

Length of heating zones (mm)8.

STAND-ALONE NITROGENSEPARATING SYSTEM

Salamander has been providing reflow systems with abuilt-in nitrogen separating system. There is a strong andon-going demand for nitrogen separating systems, particularly in those places that do not have the infrastructure
for supplying nitrogen. In the systems used at present it
has been possible to incorporate them within the reflow
system but with the reduction in overall dimensions starting from the “continental systems”, internal space has
become too limited to accommodate a built-in design. To
respond to a strong need, a stand-alone nitrogen separating system that can be installed side-by-side is available
as an option. Photo 6 shows its appearance. Its slim profile results in a compact unit that is visually pleasing.
In this nitrogen separating system, air at high pressureis passed through hollow membranes, taking advantage of the difference in its permeability to different gas
molecules. Specifically nitrogen molecules penetrate
more easily than those of oxygen, so that there are fewer
nitrogen molecules at the membrane outlet and a gasof lower oxygen concentration is obtained. Under thesesame conditions, however, oxygen concentration inside
the reflow system reaches a limit at about 1000 ppm, so
for users who require lower oxygen concentrations in
the range of 100 ppm, we supply a hydrogen generator system that adds hydrogen to the gas obtained by anitrogen separating system to effect catalytic combustionof the residual oxygen. Hydrogen gas can be obtained byelectrolyzing pure water and separating the oxygen andhydrogen. Table 2 shows the characteristics of the separating membrane, and Figure 12 is a schematic of thenitrogen separating system.

9.

Photo 6

Stand-alone nitrogen separating system.

Table 2

Characteristics of separating membrane.

Flow rate

250 /min

300 /min

350 /min

400 /min550 kPa

3540

5690

9230

Unmeasurable

600 kPa

2320

4060

6370

Unmeasurable

650 kPa

1740

3090

4720

7450

700 kPa

1140

2110

3570

5620

750 kPa

883

1670

2790

4350

800 kPa

667

1260

2240

3430

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Figure 12 Schematic of nitrogen separating system.

be rendered without field evaluations over the long term.
We will address users complaints with a continuing program of plant visits, and by maintaining close businessand technical relationships with them we intend to make
improvements and introduce new products in a timely
manner that anticipates users’ needs.

REFERENCES
1) Suga: Pb-free Soldering Technology, Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun
Publishing (2000). (in Japanese)
2) Y. Obara: Development and Evaluation of Reflow Furnaces for
Pb-free Mounting, Micro Jointing Division, Japan Welding Society(2003). (in Japanese)

CONCLUSIONThe Salamander XNK-1045 and 1245 “continental systems” developed in this project have achieved a highreputation from users in Taiwan and China from thestandpoint of heating characteristics and nitrogen consumption. In terms of the problem of flux adherence andease of maintenance, however, no final judgment can

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