Streamlining with through hole reflow
16 March 2010
Anything that can streamline production processes and reduce costs has to be of interest to manufacturers. Ian Langeveld of Wieland Electric explains how connectors with ‘through hole reflow technology’ can make a contribution.
One of the more familiar complexities of manufacturing processes for printed circuit boards is the common need to use components that have different installation requirements. Typically, therefore, most such boards will have a mixture of through hole and surface mount components, resulting in two manufacturing steps – the solder wave and the reflow soldering.
Clearly this situation increases both the time of production and the investment in machinery. However, the introduction of Through Hole Reflow (THR) techniques enables the reflow soldering technique commonly used for surface mount to be applied to through hole components as well. This approach brings a number of benefits, leading to potential savings in manufacturing costs in the order of 30%.
In many cases the production can be fully automated thus reducing the impact of human error on product quality and consistency. Furthermore, the slower warming associated with THR means there is less material stress. In addition, reflow solder machines tend to be less expensive than solder wave machines.
There are also clear production benefits, as this approach combines the advantages of both through hole technology (THT) and surface mount technology (SMT). These include the high mechanical load, high voltage and current and high heat removal from the printed circuit board associated with THT, along with the high packaging density, high or full automation and high quality production of SMT – all in one process using the same equipment.
In most cases it is possible to utilise the existing reflow process and supporting infrastructure. However, the products need to be placed by a pick and place machine so investment in a new feeder may be necessary. In some situations it may also prove advantageous for odd components to be placed from a tray.
In terms of when and how THR can be implemented this will vary considerably with the precise characteristics of each process. Thus there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to THR, this is much more of a ‘horses for courses’ solution. Any such decisions will need to be taken in the light of manufacturing costs and the potential return on investment.
In addition, it will often be the case that the PCB connectors are not the only THT parts on the board, so it will be necessary to check if the components that are currently being used are available. If they are, a relatively minor redesign of the process can bring about significant cost reductions. In other cases, the modifications required may be more extensive, leading to a longer payback.
However, where new designs are being introduced it makes sense to ensure that the design can make full use of THR techniques and realise all of the potential benefits. Clearly this will require effective communications between the design and production teams but when the major cost benefits and quality improvements of THR are taken into account it’s obviously worth making the effort.
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