

The reflow process itself consists of a number of individual processes. Then with all the components in place they can be move to the reflow soldering machine. It is possible for the components to be glued to the board, but this makes rework very difficult. This is quite sufficient for normal handling, although some care is obviously needed. The pick and place machine places the components onto the board, and they are held in place by the surface tension of the solder paste.
#REFLOW PROCESS MANUAL#
Normally an automatic pick and place machine is used because the numbers of components used these days and the accuracy required make manual placement non-viable. Pick and place: With the solder paste on the board the components can then be set in place.Once added the solder paste has been added to the board, it can move on to the next stage. This only allows the solder paste to be added to those areas of the board where it is needed. This is achieved by having a solder mask and solder paste "machine". While boards have solder resist layers added to them, it is necessary to only add solder paste to those areas where the solder is actually required. The paste is only applied to the areas that require soldering. Solder paste: In essence solder paste is applied to the board.These stages are covered in more detail in a separate page on this section of the website. The first stage in reflow soldering for PCB assembly is to apply solder paste and components to the board. This makes it ideal for use with the components used in mass produced electronics products. Using reflow soldering technology it is possible to reliably solder surface mount components, and particularly those with very fine pitch leads. The components are then placed, and then the assembly is passed through a tunnel where the board is heated in a controlled manner so that the solder paste melts and the components are electrically secured to the printed circuit board.

#REFLOW PROCESS FULL#
The basic process behind reflow or to provide its full name, infra-red reflow soldering requires that solder paste is applied to the relevant areas of the board. Infrared reflow soldering has been used for many years in PCB assembly areas, and it is now able to provide very high quality soldering that can meet the needs to todays electronics production areas. It provides reliable soldering for the huge variety of component and pad sizes required, whilst being easy to monitor and control. Reflow soldering is the most widely used form of soldering used for PCB assembly.
#REFLOW PROCESS HOW TO#
See also: Soldering basics Manual soldering: how to solder Soldering irons Tools for soldering Solder - what it is and how to use it De-soldering - the secrets of how to do it properly Solder joints SMT soldering techniques Wave soldering Reflow soldering Soldering BGAs What is solder paste & how to use it Reflow Soldering for PCB Assembly Reflow soldering is widely used for PCB assembly and manufacture where it offers the most reliable and effective form of soldering.
