Solder pump bushing seal

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for circulating a body of molten solder. An enclosure, attached to the base of an impeller motor extends downward into the body of molten solder. A rotatable shaft, advantageously attached to the impeller motor by a flexible coupling device, extends through the interior of the enclosure, terminating beyond the open end of the enclosure and connected at that end to an impeller. A seal between the rotatable shaft and the open end of the enclosure acts to prevent solder from entering the interior of the enclosure. The seal is comprised of a self-lubricating material which expands as the temperature of solder increases, forming a solder tight fit between the rotatable shaft and the seal and further securing the exterior of the seal to the interior wall of the enclosure while permitting shaft rotation. The self-lubricating and high temperature characteristics of the sealing material preclude the production of by-products from wear by the rotatable shaft.

Description: Field of the Invention This invention relates to an apparatus for circulating solder in a container and more particularly to the elimination of circulatory by-products in solder. Background of the Invention A wave soldering machine is used to solder components to a printed circuit board upon which they have been pre-mounted. Basic wave solder machines consist of an impeller mounted on the lower end of a rotatably driven pump shaft. The shaft and impeller are submerged in a body of molten solder, and rotated by means of a motorized pump operating above the surface of the solder. The impeller motion produces a wave at the surface of the solder bath. A circuit board is passed over the top of a solder wave to just skim its surface. During this passage, strong, conductive solder joints must be formed between the components and the board. Impurities in the solder may weaken the solder joints. A common impurity found in the wave soldering process is "dross". Dross accumulates on the surface of the solder bath. The accumulation of the dross presents three problems: interference with the solder joints on printed circuit boards; seizure of the impellers; and hazards to operators when it is cleaned off a surface of the solder bath. The necessity of closing down the machine to clean the dross reduces the productivity of the manufacturing process. Hence, it would be desirable to eliminate dross from the wave soldering system to increase productivity and design integrity, as well as reduce potential hazard to operators. It has been found that dross is produced in a wave soldering system when the frictional forces of mechanical devices rotating within the solder break down the solder into a dust. The rotatably driven shaft which rotates the impeller effectively grinds the solder into its component materials. It would be desirable to protect the solder from the force of the rotational shaft, and thereby preclude the production of dross. U.S. Patent No. 4,011,980 issued March 15, 1977 to Dvorak et al. discloses a wave soldering device comprising a support tube descending from an impeller motor to an impeller housing. A rotatable shaft carrying an impeller is secured within the support tube by two bearings, one located at the top of the rotatable shaft near the impeller motor, the second located at the bottom of the shaft near the impeller housing. A solder tube attaches to the impeller housing and extends upward to a reservoir. An opening at the base of the housing allows the impeller to draw solder from the base of the solder bath into the impeller housing and propel the solder up through the solder tube to the reservoir. A seal, located at the base of the support tube near the lower bearing, is included to keep solder from damaging the bearing and the shaft. However, a problem exists regarding effectively enclosing the shaft to eliminate the production of dross. Summary of the Invention The invention provides an apparatus for circulating a body of molten solder in a container during soldering operations as claimed in claim 1. Described herein is an improved apparatus that circulates a body of molten solder without producing dross. In practice, the invention uses an expandable seal at the outlet of an enclosure through with a rotatable impeller shaft extends. The seal, fitted between the shaft and the enclosure, expands in elevated temperatures during operation to form a solder tight fit between the enclosure and the shaft while allowing free rotation of the impeller shaft. Specifically, the apparatus described herein includes an impeller motor located above the body of molten solder. An enclosure, attached to the base of the impeller motor, extends downwardly into the body of molten solder during operation. A rotatable shaft is advantageously attached to the impeller motor by a flexible coupling device. The shaft extends downwardly through the interior of the enclosure to terminate with an impeller beyond the open end of the enclosure in the body of molten solder. The flexible coupling device promotes alignment between the shaft and the exit passageway of the seal during solder circulating operations. A seal prevents solder from entering the interior of the enclosure and thereby acts to prevent the production of dross. The seal is comprised of an expandable material, and as the temperature in the solder bath increases during operation, the seal expands, forming a solder tight seal between itself and the shaft, while allowing shaft rotation. The seal element preferably comprises a self-lubricating bushing comprising a material having a coefficient of linear thermal expansion between 1.8µm/m°C (1x10⁻⁶ in/in°F) and 0.00186m/m°C (0.001 in/in°F). More preferably, the seal element comprises a self-lubricating bushing, comprising a material having a coefficient of linear thermal expansion of 33µm/m°C (18x10⁻⁶ in/in°F). The seal element preferably comprises a polybenzimidazole resin. The diameter of the shaft is preferably 0.1mm (0.004 inches) smaller than the diameter of the passageway of the seal element, and the solder temperature is preferably in the range from 204°C to 316°C. The flexible coupling device attaches the shaft to the motor means, the flexible coupling device compensating for alignment offset, between said shaft and said passageway. The use of the apparatus reduces parts required for assembly and maintenance, while ensuring a reduction of dross and other by-products of a wave soldering system. In addition, the elimination of by-products increases solder joint integrity while safeguarding the environment. Brief Description of Drawings A more detailed understanding of the invention may be had from the following description of a preferred embodiment, given by way of example and to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the wave solder system that incorporates the circulating apparatus embodying the present invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the circulating apparatus, enclosure and seal as shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is yet a further enlarged view of the lower end of a rotatable shaft, highlighting the relationship between a bushing seal, an enclosure and a shaft; Figure 4 is a transverse cross sectional view of an enclosure, a bushing seal and a rotatable shaft, taken along line A-A in Figure 3. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional elevated view of a wave solder system 10 embodying the present invention. The wave solder system 10 comprises a impeller circulating pump mechanism 12 supported in a solder tub 14 by spaced apart flow dividers 15a and 15b. The solder tub 14 further comprises a heating unit 16. Liquid solder 17 is contained within the soldering tub 14. An impeller motor 22 is attached to an impeller motor plate 20, which is supported by impeller support beams 18a and 18b. The impeller support beams 18a and 18b support the impeller motor above the solder bath, and extend downwardly into the solder bath to rest upon flow dividers 15a and 15b. The flow dividers 15a and 15b serve both to support to the impeller motor 22 and to regulate the flow of solder in the solder bath during operation. An elongated enclosure 32 secured by screws 34a and 34b to the impeller motor plate 20 extends from the impeller motor plate 20 downwardly to a location below the flow dividers 15a and 15b. A rotatable shaft 24 is advantageously attached by a flexible coupler 26 to the output shaft of the impeller motor 22 through an opening in the impeller motor plate 20. The rotatably driven shaft 24 extends downwardly within the enclosure 32, terminating beyond an exit opening 100 at the base of the enclosure 32 and carrying an impeller 28 at its termination. The interior of the enclosure 32 is protected from invasion of molten solder by a bushing seal 30 located at the exit opening 100 of the enclosure 32, thus eliminating friction between the shaft 24 and the solder 17. The bushing seal 30 has a central passageway 130 extending therethrough and aligned with the shaft 24. During operation of the wave solder system 10, the heating unit 16 heats the solder 17 of the soldering bath to the desired viscosity. The impeller motor 22 rotates the shaft 24, causing the impeller 28 to circulate within the solder bath. The flow dividers 15a and 15b regulate the flow of solder 17 within the solder bath, causing the solder to be drawn from the surface of the solder bath downward through a impeller opening 60 between the flow dividers 15a and 15b. The solder 17 is urged upwardly in the direction indicated by arrow 50 in Figure 1 towards wave guides 45a and 45b. As the solder flows upwards over the top of the wave guides 45a and 45b, a wave or swell is formed at the location indicated by arrow 40 in Figure 1. A circuit board is passed over the wave, at which point solder joints are formed on the circuit board. Presented now in Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the pump mechanism 12, highlighting the rotatable shaft 24 and enclosure 32. The enclosure 32, attached by screws 34a, 34b to the impeller motor plate 20, is comprised of a high temperature material, for example stainless steel, capable of maintaining rigidity in a high temperature environment. The enclosure 32 extends into the solder bath 17, terminating with the exit opening 100 beneath the surface of the solder. The interior transverse cross sectional area of the enclosure 32 is larger than the transverse cross sectional area of the shaft 24 to allow free movement of the shaft within the enclosure. As shown, the enclosure 32 is tubular in shape, however other shapes can be used, provided its interior allows for free movement of the shaft 24. As mentioned previously, the shaft 24 extends downwardly and through the exit opening 100 in the enclosure 32. As shown, shaft 24 is made of steel, although other materials which are capable of driving the impeller 28 in a high temperature environment in the range from 149°C to 399°C may also be utilized. The shaft 24 as well as the impeller 28 are preferably manufactured from materials, such as steel, with high temperature characteristics which would preclude any resulting by products from entering the molten solder during operation. One purpose of the enclosure 32 is to isolate the shaft 24 from the solder bath 17, thus preventing frictional forces between the shaft 24 and the solder 17 from grinding the solder and producing dross. The seal 30, located at the exit opening 100 of the enclosure 32 prohibits solder from entering the enclosure and contacting the rotatable shaft 24. An enlarged view of the sealed lower end of the impeller shaft and seal region is shown in Figure 3. A transverse cross sectional view of the rotating shaft 24, seal 30 and enclosure 32 is shown in Figure 4. At assembly, the seal 30 is snug fitted to the enclosure 32 with the shaft 24 extending through the passageway 130 in the seal 30. At room temperature, the passageway 130 of the seal 30 has a larger cross sectional area than that of the shaft 24, as shown in the Figures. The shaft 24 extends through but does not contact the surfaces of the passageway 130. The optimal space differential 25 between the shaft 24 and the surface of the passageway 130 is a function of the linear thermal expansion coefficient of the material of the seal 30, and the temperature of the solder bath 17. In practice, a space differential 25 equal to 0.10mm is used with a seal material having a linear thermal expansion coefficient equal to 33µm/m°C (18x10⁻⁶ in/in°F) in a solder bath of 260°C. The exterior face of the seal 30 is matched to the interior face of the enclosure 32 such that at assembly the seal can be snug fitted and retained at the opening 100 of the enclosure 32. The seal 30 comprises a self lubricating material with controlled expansion at high temperatures. Thus, as the solder is heated to the desired viscosity during operation, the seal 30 expands such that a solder tight sealing fit is achieved between the shaft 29 and the passageway 130 of the seal 30. Likewise, the seal 30 expands to further secure a solder tight seal between its exterior surface and the interior surface of the enclosure 32. A cross sectional view of the rotatable shaft 24, seal 30 and enclosure 32 shown in Figure 4 further exemplifies the interrelationship between the parts. The difference between the interior diameter of the seal 30 and the exterior diameter of the rotatable shaft 24 is matched to the expansion characteristic of the seal at the solder viscosity temperature. The self lubricating property of the seal 30 allows for free rotation of the shaft 24 despite the pressure caused by the expanded seal. In practice, the invention has obtained good results using a seal 30 made of polybenzimidazole resin, a unique organic polymer which is available under the name Celazole™ , manufactured by Hoechst Celanese Corporation of Texas, U.S.A. Celazole™ parts possess a low coefficient of friction (.19 v C1018 Steel), excellent hardness (density of 1.28 - 1.33 g/cc) and a coefficient of linear thermal expansion equal to 33µm/m°C (18x10⁻⁶ in/in°F), though materials of like characteristics can be used. As described previously, based on the thermal expansion characteristic, the preferred embodiment utilized a 0.10mm (.004 inch) gap between the shaft 24 and the diameter of the passageway 130 at room temperature (such as 10°C to 27°C). Upon expansion, the seal 30 provides a solder tight sealing fit while allowing shaft rotation. The density and resistance to fatigue properties of the polybenzimidazole resin precludes resulting by-products due to wear by the shaft 24 on the seal 30. The seal, therefore, serves the dual purposes of sealing and providing rotational stabilization of the shaft, thus minimizing parts to aid in system assembly and maintenance. Referring again to Figure 2, a flexible coupler 26 may advantageously connect the rotatable shaft 24 to the impeller motor 22 through an opening in the impeller motor plate 20. The flexible coupler 26 allows for alignment differentials between shaft 24 and the passageway 130 of the seal 30 by transforming the parallel misalignment into an angular displacement within the coupling. Persistent misalignment between the two parts can potentially result in excessive wear and even seizure of the rotatable shaft 24 during rotation. As shown, the flexible coupler 26 is manufactured from steel as one unit with no moving parts, and no backlash. Such a coupler is available under the name HELI-CAL FLEXURE™ which is manufactured by HELICAL Products Company, Inc. of Texas. Other suitable flexible couplers that are manufactured as one unit and with no backlash can be used. Thus, dross which would have otherwise been formed by the rotation of the shaft 24 in contact with the molten solder is prevented by the absence of contact caused by the seal 30 between the shaft 24 and the molten solder. Although the above description has proceeded with reference to a wave solder system, it is to be understood that the invention may be used in other solder applications. While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that various other adaptations and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. Effect of the Invention: Wave solder machines which are used for soldering of printed circuit board suffer from "dross" which accumulates on the surface of the solder bath. Dross is usually formed because of the frictional forces of movement between rotating members, eg., a shaft and the molten solder in contact therewith. The wave solder machine described hereinbefore uses an impeller motor 22 which drives a shaft 24 coupled to an impeller 28. To prevent contact between the molten solder 17 and the rotating shaft 24, a seal element 30 is used which is made of a material with such a co-efficient of thermal expansion that the seal 30 continues to make a good seal between the shaft and the inner surface of the elongated enclosure 32 at varying temperatures and viscocity levels of the molten liquid solder 17. By lack of contact between the rotating shaft 24 and the molten liquid solder 17, the formation of dross which is deleterious for the soldering operation, is prevented.

Claims: An apparatus for circulating a body of molten solder (17) in a container (14) during soldering operations comprising : an enclosure (32) having an interior space with an exit opening (100) located below the surface of said body of molten solder (17) in said container (14) during operations; a rotatably mounted shaft (24) extending through said interior space of said enclosure (32) and terminating beyond said exit opening (100); motor means (22) for rotating said shaft (24); a seal element (30) at said exit opening (100), said seal element being disposed between said shaft (24) and said exit opening to prevent entrance of molten solder into said interior space, said seal element (30) having a passageway (130) through which said shaft extends, having a cross sectional area passageway greater than the cross sectional area of said rotatable shaft at room temperature, said seal (30) being comprised of a material which enlarges with increasing soldering temperatures, the amount of enlargement and the cross sectional area of the passageway being matched such that under the influence of the heat of said molten solder, said material enlarges sufficiently to provide sealing between said seal element (30) and said shaft (24) while permitting rotation thereof and to provide sealing between such seal element and the interior wall surface of said enclosure; and an impeller (28) carried by said rotatable shaft (24) outside said enclosure, said impeller being rotated by said shaft to circulate said body of molten solder (17). The apparatus of Claim 1, wherein said seal element (30) comprises a self-lubricating bushing, comprising a material having a coefficient of linear thermal expansion between 1.8µm/m°C (1x10⁻⁶ in/in°F) and 0.00186m/m°C (0.001 in/in°F). The apparatus of Claim 1 or 2, wherein said seal element (30) comprises a self-lubricating bushing, comprising a material having a co-efficient of linear thermal expansion of 33µm/m°C (18x10⁻⁶ in/in°F). The apparatus of Claim 1, 2 or Claim 3 wherein said seal element (30) comprises a polybenzimidazole resin. The apparatus of Claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein said diameter of said shaft (24) is 0.1mm (0.004 inches) smaller than said diameter of said opening of said bushing and wherein said high temperature is in the range from 204°C (400°F) to 316°C (600°F). An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a flexible coupling device (26) attaching said shaft (24) to said motor means (22), said flexible coupling device compensating for alignment offset, between said shaft and said passageway (130).

Inventors: CAINE PAUL J, SULLIVAN KYLE C, CAINE, PAUL J., SULLIVAN, KYLE C.
Applicants: DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORP, DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B23K3
IPC codes: B23K3, H05K3, B23K1