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PCB
Rework Pre-heater
Bottom-Side Preheating
Pre-heat for Heavy Ground Planes
Lead-Free PreHeat Rework |
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GIGANTIC PCB 1,500 WATT PREHEATING GRID: 32 Sq. In (220 Sq. cm) |
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ZT-1-MGS MEGA-GRID™
PRE-HEATER
AIRBATH
Bottom-Side Convection Pre-Heating for PCB,
Thru-Hole, SMD, SMT, QFN & BGA Rework and Repair |
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50 CFM AIR SUPPLY (1,415
Liters/Minute) |
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All Zephyrtronics Equipment is Engineered and Manufactured in the United States of America.
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Order Securely
On-Line |






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1996 "Vision Award"
Awarded to Zephyrtronics for
the AirBath™
"Best New Product of the Year" |
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The AirBath is Spotlighted
in Ray Prasad'sText
"Surface Mount Technology" |
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"Innovative...simpler, safer way to
remove and repair sensitive devices" The Editorial
Staff, SMT MAGAZINE |
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The Zephyrtronics' AirBath “bathes the
circuit board in warm air to reduce thermal stresses to
the board and components.”-- NASA
Report Jan '04 |
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The Zephyrtronics' AirBath “bathes the circuit board in warm air to
reduce thermal stresses to the board
and its components.”-- NASA
Report, January 9, 2004 |
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No One Knows
More About Preheating Than Zephyrtronics! The pioneer and world-leader in bottom-side preheating for
PCB's introduces our largest, most powerful model yet of our
world-famous AirBath™ Pre-heating Systems. The
ZT-1-MGS-DPU
Mega-Grid AirBath™
features a full 32-square inch (220 sq.
cm) pre-heating grid with 1,500 watts of power and 50 CFM (1,415
liters/minute) of air supply of pre-heating and cooling.
Developed by Zephyrtronics at the specific request of NASA, our
Mega-Grid™
AirBath
is now available to all our customers with PCB's over 18" (45cm)
in size or with high copper content, heat-sinks, large ground or
back planes. What a workhorse!
The patented protected technology within the
Mega-Grid™
AirBath™
presents the most effective solution for PCB pre-heating during
prototyping or rework at the bench for thru-hole and surface mount
technology including Ball Grid Arrays. Far more than just a
preheater, this is a Zephyrtronics AirBath™. |
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Approached by NASA in 2004, Zephyrtronics Developed Our "MegaGrid™
AirBath For Their Space/Military Applications. The MegaGrid™
is Now Available to All Our Customers. |
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Preheat Power:
Our
Mega-Grid™
AirBath with its
powerful 50 CFM (1,415 liters/minute) of air supply and its
6.3" x 5" (16cm x 13cm) enormous heating grid delivers its
forced-convection preheating power as needed for those
"boards from hell" -- as many engineers like to say.
Beware of imitative pre-heaters with less than 13CFM (360
liters/minute) that crudely attempt to compensate for their
lack of preheat air volume
with higher temp settings.
Remember: the glass transition of a FR-4 PCB is only
170°C. You don't want higher preheat temps, you want
a higher volume of safe preheated (100°C to 170°C) air
applied to your PCB's.
Loaded With Premium Features:
The
Mega-Grid™
gets into all the nooks and crannies of the PCB
assembly where hot plates and IR pre-heaters can't go (more
below). It is ESD-safe; features indicator
lights (blue: cooling; red: preheating); it is
self-contained with an internal air supply (no hookups); all
inside a durable, steel housing for industrial use and
long production life. |
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ZT-1-MGS MEGAGRID™ DIGITAL AIRBATH PREHEATER |
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DESCRIPTION |
MODEL |
PRICE |
BUY
NOW |
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MEGA-GRID™
DIGITAL
AIRBATH
50 CFM Air Power
(1,415 Liter/Min) 1,500 Watt Power
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ZT-1-MGS-DPU-120
(120 Volt for the U.S., Canada & Mexico) |
$2,985
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ZT-1-MGS-DPU-230
(230 Volt For All
Int'l Customers) |
$2,985 |
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* We
manufacture many other sizes of AirBaths.
Please note that The MegaGrid™ is our largest
AirBath Preheater and may be too big for your
applications. Please check out our entire
AirBath Catalog Directory
where we are certain that we have an AirBath
Preheater tailored to your company's PCB needs. |
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ABC SERIES OF ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLES |
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DESCRIPTION |
MODEL |
PRICE |
BUY
NOW |
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ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE 3-RAIL (10” X 18” MAX) |
ABC-1 |
$195 |
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ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE 3-RAIL (20” X 18” MAX) |
ABC-2 |
$235 |
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ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE QUATRO (10” X 18” MAX) |
ABC-1-Q |
$235 |
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ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE QUATRO (20” X 18” MAX) |
ABC-2-Q |
$275 |
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Critical Thermal
Ramping: The
Mega-Grid™
AirBath
has industry
standard, built-in temperature ramping at 2° to 4°C per
second preventing thermal shock to sensitive chips, ceramic
caps and glass diodes. The ramp is "built in" by design
into every Zephyrtronics AirBath™ Preheating System.
The Many Benefits of Preheating Your PCB:
The
benefits from preheating are
multiple and compounding. 1.) Preheating or "soaking" the
assembly prior to initiating reflow helps to activate the
flux, removing oxides and surface films from the leads and
pads to be soldered, thereby enhancing the wetting process
and solder joint quality. 2.) Preheating the board
permits lower soldering reflow temperatures. 3.)
Preheating reduces the final "dwell time" during the final
reflow stage. 4.) Preheating reduces thermal stresses
to the PCB substrate and its components when localized
reflow is made with soldering irons, de-soldering tools and
hot air systems. 5.) Preheating provides the thermal boost
needed when working with RoHS lead-free solders without
damaging the work!
Digital Illuminated Temp Display & Control: MIL-Spec compliant, the
Mega-Grid™
has closed-loop, electronic feedback-sensing control and
variable temperature selection with a lighted digital temperature display.
A convenient microprocessor control permits variable
temperature selection with an easy-to-use "set/read" digital
display function.
For Thru-Hole, SMT & BGA Preheating Tasks: The
Mega-Grid™
AirBath
is ideal for all PCB challenges from low-volume production
runs, prototyping during design or during rework with all
component packages such as
BGA, CSP, QFP, QFN,
TSOP, PLCC, SOIC, SOL, LCC, Flip Chip and Glob Top
components. And it easily handles all substrates including
FR-4, polyimide, composites, flex circuits and ceramic
boards. |
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Your Lead-Free Solution: Working with the lead-free, RoHS compliant solder alloys -- all having higher
melting points -- makes preheating more essential to any PCB
work at the bench. Don't raise temperatures higher on your
soldering irons, desoldering tools, hot air nozzles, thermal
tweezers, or hot air pencils!
Just briefly preheat the bottom of your PCB,
you can perform your soldering or desoldering on the top
side of the board at lower temps. |
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The
RoHS Mandate:
Learn here about the
European Lead-Free
Mandate & Preheating.
Our AirBath™ preheaters
are your Lead-Free, RoHS soldering solution.
They make working with lead-free solder a
breeze! |
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All Preheaters Are Not Created Equally:
Here are a few of the many helpful applications and
utilities of the
ZT-1-MegaGrid
AirBath™
for prototyping and rework of your PCB's at the bench. |
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1.
Achieve High-End Superb
Thermal Profiles at the Bench with
the required industry standard 2°-4°C ramping to preheat!
The 2°-4°C ramp is "built in" to every
Zephyrtronics AirBath™
preventing thermal shock to ceramic capacitors, glass
diodes and temperature sensitive components, plus ramping
helps prevent "pop-corning" of moisture within I.C.'s.
Importantly, preheating allows flux activation and the
ability to work at lower temps on the topside of the
PCB with your soldering tools. Effective preheating prevents
scorching substrates, damaging pads and components during
rework or prototyping.
2. A New Rework
Paradigm: Remove SMD's below 150°C
(300°F) with only an AirBath™ and our
LOWMELT®
DeSolder through the proven process of co-metalization. No
nozzles! No lifting pads! No more burning PCB's! Your AirBath™
puts this nifty rework option at your fingertips. See
the short video demo:
Video: SMD Removal With an AirBath & LowMelt.
3. Non-Contact Hot Air Soldering:
The AirBath™
preheat allows you to use solder "paste" -- as well as
solder wire --- just like high volume soldering
production with just a
Hot AirPencil.
This is a 100% non-contact (NASA calls it "non-touch")
method of soldering at the bench. Witness the short video of
Video: How To Solder SMD's With Solder Paste.
4. Thru-Hole Rework:
Heavy ground planes? High copper content? Big heat sinks? No
problem! Your AirBath™
makes desoldering thru-hole chips a breeze! Place your PCB over the AirBath™,
turn down temp settings on your desoldering tools and stop
lifting pads. This
is your preheat boost!
You'll never de-solder thru-hole
without preheat again.
5. Heat Shrink Tubing: With its temperature control, the
AirBath™
is far superior to heat guns that will and do burn and tear
an electrical wire's insulation and/or heat-shrink tubing.
6. BGA, CSP Soldering &
DeSoldering. The
AirBath™
is also a modular component to to our comprehensive
ZT-7-ML BGA Hot
Air System.
So even if you are not yet working with BGA's, your AirBath™
will have you half the way there should you begin to work
with BGA's. How? Because
the
AirBath™
has all the essential features for BGA processing
incorporated in its design: industry standard ramp rate to
preheat; "post-cooling" for rapid cool-down (critical to the BGA reflow process); and
a powerful
50CFM
(1,415
Liters/Minute)
of preheat power
permitting lower final reflow temperature from your
nozzles above. See the short video of BGA rework:
Video:
BGA & SMD De-Soldering in 3 Minutes. |
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Preheating PCB at Benchtop Mimics High
Quality Thermal Profiles on Production Floor |
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Remove Chip Quickly at Less Than 150°C with
AirBath &
LOWMELT®
"Never Lift A Pad" |
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100% Non Contact , SMT Hot Air Solder Reflow
With the AirBath and a
Hot AirPencil.
Yields Highest Quality Joints. |
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Thru-Hole Desoldering Made Easier & At
Lower Temps With The AirBath Preheat Heavy Ground Planes? No
Problem! |
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The
MegaGrid™
&
LOWMELT®
Are Ideal for BGA Pad Redressing Below
150°C Without Wick or a Solder Iron. |
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The Mega-Grid™
Works Perfectly with the
ZT-7-MIL
BGA& SMT
Hot Air Reflow Center. |
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Digital Temp Display With Set/Read |
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Comparing The 4 Methods of Preheating:
Pre-heating PCB
assemblies falls into four categories: Use of hot plates,
use of ovens, IR systems, and the use of forced convection
(warm air) under the PCB: While any preheating of
your PCB prior to solder reflow is certainly better than
none, an objective analysis of the various methods of
preheating quickly reveals that
all preheating methods are not equally effective or
beneficial:
1.) The
Oven:
The use of an oven to pre-heat the substrate
before reworking and initiating solder reflow for either
removal and/or replacement of components can yield the
most uniform temperature profile as it warms both the
top and bottom of the PCB assembly as ovens also do in
high volume production equipment such as conveyor ovens
and wave solder machines. It's just a little problematic
to crawl inside an oven with your PCB to preheat while
you perform selective soldering or desoldering tasks on
one side of the board. Of course, one can preheat in an
oven and then race with it in your high-gloved hands
back to the bench, but it's hardly a solution either.
2.) The
Hot Plate: The
obvious limitation to the hot plate is that not all PCB
assemblies are single sided. In fact, in today's world
of hybrid and mixed technologies, the PCB that is
entirely flat or plane on one side is an exotic and rare
creature indeed. PCB's typically can carry heat sinks,
connectors, jumpers and transformers on both sides of
the substrate. These uneven surfaces on the board
present an indirect path of heat conduction from the hot
plate to the board assembly.
3.) The IR Preheater:
There are many drawbacks to
infrared
which is why it has really never completely caught on.
Some of drawbacks which have been enumerated in articles
in SMT Magazine, Circuits Assembly and in white papers
at electronic conventions are the difficulty in ramping
temps (some are better than others); shadowing caused by
high profile components on PCB's; and if the IR preheat
grid is very large it can make working on small PCB's
very uncomfortable for the technician (this is a very
common complaint). Still another great disadvantage to
IR preheaters is that they can not ever truly be
"temperature controlled" without the technician having
to always pre-assemble an external thermocouple into
every board before working on it. And that's a
continuous hassle and headache replete with quality
pitfalls and problems with inconsistent results. There
are more, but these are some of the key setbacks. |
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The
Picture Tells the Story:
A Comparison of Two Popular PCB Preheating Methods |
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NASA & JPL: 'IR Preheaters Are Risky':
Addressing the critical preheating process during
rework of plastic and other heat sensitive components in
their 49-page published report, two JPL engineers, Dr.
Rajenshuni Ramesham and Dr. R. David Gerke, wrote "Hot
plates and infrared preheaters are not recommended for
this type of rework. The reason that they should
not be used is that the thermal reaction times, energy
transfer rates and efficiency are never consistent.
However, they can be used for large metal and
ground-plane boards in limited applications, e.g., where
the size of the board matches that of the preheater in
area."
Continuing and also citing the late William Scheu,
the authors pointed out the superiority of preheating by
bottom-side forced convection systems. Moreover, the
NASA Survey by JPL spotlighted still more of the deficiencies of IR
preheating devices: "They have little capacity to
ramp and soak to perform properly engineered repair
scenarios or to support the creation and application of
complicated thermal profiles. They also are limited in
their ability to preheat beyond the physical dimensions
of the heating surface. Hot-air preheating can be
ramped, soaked and, on some systems, synchronized with
the reflow process, permitting duplication of the actual
profile used in manufacturing the assemblies. BGAs and
photoelectrical parts are sensitive to higher
temperatures and
any attempt
to preheat with marginally controllable sources is risky."
---' NASA & JPL: Survey of Rework Methods & Equipment
for Various Packaging Technologies."
-- August 2005.
4.) Superior,
Forced Convection Preheat, The AirBath™: The
market has long spoken with regards to the distinct
advantages and superiority of a
warm air bath in the pre-heating
process. Forced convection completely disregards the
topography (or bottomography) of the PCB, allowing
immediate, direct access of the warm air into all of the
nooks and crannies of the PCB assembly. And much like
the newer, popular forced convection commercial ovens,
the circulating warmed air is far more effective than
static warm air. |
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Post-Cooling™ By The AirBath™:
Further, an another clear advantage of a
Zephyrtronics AirBath™ is that with the flip of
a switch the unit immediately becomes a
post-cooler™ cooling down your PCB and its
components and most importantly, your solder
joints.
Post-Cooling™ is essential to any soldering of
BGA's because hot air nozzles must not be lifted
from above the BGA until all the balled joints
have cooled so as not to cause unwanted bridging.
It's important to point out the obvious: hot
plates, static ovens and IR plates do not
provide the critical post-cooling™ feature
standard on every Zephyrtronics AirBath™. Again,
our engineers introduced the concept of
post-cooling™ to the benchtop clear back in
1994.
Typically, our AirBaths™ can cool BGA's after
reflow within only 8 second permitting the hot
air nozzle to be lifted without fear of
bridging. Without post-cooling™ the technician
has to wait for the ball/pad interface to
solidify completely before lifting the nozzle to
inspect or to move on to another chip. The
Post-Cooling™ feature remedies this problem
allowing rapid lifting of your hot air nozzles
from over the BGA after soldering. |
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The AirBath™ Cools Down Within 8 Seconds
Allowing Quicker Lifting Hot Air Nozzles
Preventing Bridging. |
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