Heating an Aluminum-backed Circuit Board to Reflow Solder

A company from the medical device manufacturing industry turned to THE LAB at Ambrell to heat an aluminum-backed circuit board to 600 °F (316 °C) to reflow solder and remove bad connectors from LEDs. This client had been using a hot plate but wanted to reduce their heating time to increase throughput in their manufacturing process. 

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THE LAB determined that an Ambrell EASYHEAT^TM 2.4 kW, 150-400 kHz induction heating system would be the right solution for this solder reflow application. They also designed a single position, three-turn pancake induction heating coil for the application. The circuit board was placed over the pancake coil and the power was turned on to being testing. After some initial testing, it was determined that 20 seconds of heating time enabled the connectors to be easily removed.

Using induction for this solder reflow application offered several benefits. Speed was a significant one, as the heating time was 1/3 of what the client had with a hot plate. This, of course, led to significantly higher throughput. Finally, induction is a more energy efficient method of heating, which saved the client money. 

 If you have a heating application you'd like tested, learn about complimentary applications testing from THE LAB at Ambrell, including our new Virtual Lab Service.