Mystery ebay reflow oven  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Marsupilami
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2021, 01:08:15 am
content: Hi Folks,I just scored this thing on ebay and I was wondering if it triggers a surge of nostalgia for someone. I bought it more for the lolz and out of curiosity, if I can actually get it running that's just a plus.I found the listing a couple of days ago and I went down this rabbit hole of trying to figure out what it is before buying it. Then I got interested in just unraveling history.Of course I had to get it even though I found basically zero practically useful information.The branding says "rel" and "Multicore Solder". Model is "SM 150 CX".There seems to be zero reference to any company or brand named "rel" on the interwebz. I started searching for vintage equipment like this and I found Reddish Electronics stuff that shows some resemblance in the controls and model naming of their units. Also from some random company website I learned that Reddish stuff from the UK was sold in the US under OK Industries brand (before they became OK International) and then I found this other machine which I'm pretty sure is the big brother of mine.https://cavlon.com/zcstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=10569There is no branding on it other than the welcome message of the LCD which says "OK Industries Profile Controller". It also says Uni-flow on the top, which might or might not be the model, but again google let me down.I found a lot (relatively speaking) info on other Reddish models. Successors of their SM500 CXE still seems to be a popular batch oven. Also there's a few auctions listings for bigger inline ovens as the SM1500 CXE, SM2000 CXE and SM3000 CXE. No mention of SM 150 CX anywhere.I tried to look for Multicore Solder equipment too. I wonder what was the branding deal with that. Apparently they had a Soldering Process Control Instruments Division (SPCID) which might have made reflow ovens too although it isn't entirely clear for me. Henkel (Loctite) bough the company and later they sold off the SPCID division to Concoat Ltd., out of which the equipment business became Gen3 Systems that operates today.https://www.gen3systems.com/They do sell electronics assembly and inspection equipment but no reflow ovens.On a Taiwanese website last updated in 1999 says they were the distributors for Multicore SPCID and also on their product page with now non-working Adobe Flash inserts it list Reddish Electronics oven models.http://www.sharemate.com.tw/en/company.htmI picked up the oven today. One of the appeal was that it was located 30 minutes away. There's no extra info that I found on it however one of the ceramic heating elements is marked Reddish Ltd Made in England.I haven't plugged it in yet. According to the seller it has a thermocouple error message. I'll play with it a bit when I have time, maybe it can be saved.If you're sitting on a user/service manual for this or a similar unit or just have a puzzle piece of the history don't hold back!Imre

author: cheater
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2021, 04:21:19 pm
content: Not a bad find - how much did you score it for?

author: AmnevaR
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2021, 04:57:30 pm
content: Interesting thing! Never saw a compact batch oven with conveyor. Does it has infrared heaters inside?That thermocouple could be good maybe it's just a dodgy connection.

author: gasmeter
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 09, 2022, 05:32:42 pm
content: Hi ImreI realise this post is old .How did you get on finding info.I just bought one off ebay ( Ok industries) , but the same model.I haven't fired mine up yet as I need to put in a 32A feed.Yours is the only post I found on this oven anywhere.Peter

author: MGJ_26
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 18, 2024, 05:10:18 pm
content: Happened across this earlier and wondered where this might have come from. I worked for Multicore for a good while- still in the business. Multicore in the UK as far as I know never sold any reflow ovens-- there was no promotional material printed for them in this region. Some equipment was designed in house, some was rebadged or the technology was purchased from other companies. It's possible that one or more REL ovens were given a Multicore graphic-- maybe it was something that was considered and not taken further, alternatively it may have been owned by a Multicore site and they just stickered it. In the late 80s/ very early 90s we used a four-zone benchtop Reddish oven very similar to this for paste development in the UK- before acquiring a production-scale oven (a BTU K-99).This oven probably pre-dates SPCID, before that it was 'Equipment Division'. There were various odd products that were not sold widely- like the Vaporette benchtop vapour phase unit (very basic- a heating mantle with a jacketed glass vessel)- but these were launched products with promotional brochures and featured in catalogues. Reflow ovens never.I doubt there were many of these with Multicore branding- quite unusual. Wouldn't surprise me if this is one of a kind.As you are in the US I wonder if this might have come from the Multicore site in Richardson (TX)? there was a small R&D group at this site for a while.