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Welcome to Zephyrtronics! The World's First Low Temp Approach to the Electronic Benchtop.

SMD SOLDERING AS IT SHOULD BE

For Production-Quality Solder Joints Complete with Fillets at the Bench!

 

Here’s How Simple High-Quality SMD Soldering Can Be...

 



All Zephyrtronics Equipment is Designed, Engineered, and Manufactured in the United States of America

1994
The "early days" of the company as David Jacks & Randy Walston lay ground work, engineer, R&D, test & evaluate & apply for patents on their new, milestone low temp approach to benchtop soldering & rework.

1995
The Company introduces world’s first stand-alone, bottom-side preheating system, The AirBath™. 

1996
Zephyrtronics awarded the "Vision Award" for Best New Product of the Year at the Surface Mount Int'l Expo in Silicon Valley.

1997
SMT Magazine's editorial staff calls Zephyrtronics one of the three most innovative companies  that year.

1998
 U.S. Department of Defense selects Zephyrtronics as supplier. Boeing tests & approves Zephyrtronics AirBath™
& DeSolder for
SMD removal

1999
Raytheon recommends Zephyrtronics in written report. National Semiconductor recommends  Zephyrtronics in published paper for
BGA rework

2000
Zephyrtronics continues
 3-year string as fastest growing soldering equipment manufacturer in the U.S.A. Also: Introduction of     dispensing product line.

2001
  Zephyrtronics saves Raytheon
$1 Million in rework scrap after Six Sigma Study.

2002
Our ZT-7-MIL is selected by The J.P.L. Mars Rover Project for BGA tasks.

2003
 International Rectifier recommends
Zephyrtronics for BGA rework.

2004
After smashing success of the Mars Rovers, NASA issues 39-page touting Zephyrtronics for making "mounting & removal of thru-hole and SMT/BGA easier than routine bench methods"

2005
Zephyrtronics expands its leadership in preheating
 with our
MegaGrid
™ AirBath.

2006
Introduction of ZeroLead® branded lead-free solder paste and ZeroLead® LowMelt® DeSolder Wire.  both are RoHS Compliant.

2007
Zephyrtronics launches
 e-commerce site for the convenience of
our customers
all over the world.

  Step 1.

Always Make Sure PCB Assy is Level and Secure. Place your PCB Assembly into the ABC-1 Adjustable Board Cradle and above the ZT-1 AIRBATH as shown at the left.

  Step 2.
 

Apply Bead of Solder Paste. With the appropriate gage of paste application tip (See Selection Chart Below), apply a continuous bead of solder paste down the middle of the pads (Recommended: Zephpaste SPE-0012) as shown here.

Step 3.

Pick and Place Chip.  Using an ESD safe, and soft vacuum lifting device such as the ZT-3-MIL AIRPICK, lift and gently place the selected SMD on top of the bead of paste above the corresponding pads.

Step 4.
 

Adjust Alignment if Needed.  After placing SMD, check so all leads and pads are aligned. "Fine tune" with a stainless steel SMD/Dental Probe as shown. Recommended (SMT Probes SDP-1111).

Step 5.
 

Always Preheat.   First, switch on the ZT-1 AIRBATH to "Warm" at recommended setting of 150°C. How long? The process itself will tell you. When bead of solder paste runs (30-60 sec), flux has activated and the PCB is preheated.

Step 6.
 

Using a Low Velocity Hot Air Pencil with precision, pin-pointed AirPencil, apply heated airstream to shoulders of the SMD's leads (not the pads). Allow time so that all solder wicks up creating shiny joints with fillets one joint at a time.  Inspect. (Recommended: ZT-2-MIL AirPencil.)

Step 7.

Cool Down & Final Cleaning. Flip rocker switch of ZT-1 AirBath to "Cool" mode to cool down PCB. Insert large anti-static foam swab into flux remover. (Recommended: Non-Flammable Flux Remover).

Step 8.
 

Swab PCB with Flux Remover. As PCB cools under ZT-1 AirBath, swab area where SMD was placed and reflowed to the pads with Flux Remover as shown. Turn off AirBath. Inspect. (For graphic contrast, a white foam swab is shown at left.).

 

Inferior Soldering Iron with Solder Wire
Vs

Superior Hot Air Soldering & Solder Paste

 


Above: An inferior "tack" solder joint made with the traditional, contact soldering iron and solder wire. At best, only a tangential joint is achieved at the lead/pad interface. Such inferior joints are no more acceptable from the bench than they are from a conveyor oven or wave solder machine.

 
 

 
 


Above: A superior solder joint for SMD's. Here's how:

A bead of solder paste is applied to the pads, followed by placement of the SMD onto the pad and seated into the paste.
Next, a brief preheating of the bottom side of the PCB is made.After 30-60 seconds, flux activation begins (solder bead begins to visibly level).

A localized, pin-pointed reflow of solder paste is made at each individual lead/pad interface with a low velocity hot air pencil. Solder wets and wicks up to the lead's toes, heels and sides with production quality fillets.

It's elementary: A solder joint made at the bench with the same materials and processes used in premium production conveyor ovens will be the same.

This only requires the following:

a) solder paste (not wire)
b) convective preheating prior to reflow
c) convective reflow (hot air pencil)
   not messy contact (soldering iron)

For a more in depth look at SMD soldering, please refer to
"Making High Quality Solder Joints at the Bench".

 

zephpaste_copy

Zephyrtronics
Popular
No Clean
Solder Paste

6 Month Shelf
No Refrigeration

Available in UnLeaded & Leaded Alloys!

Click Photo

 
 

Notes:

The above example is made with a "gull winged " SOIC 20. This same method works equally well with the "J" leaded PLCC's. For finer pitched components, such as the popular QFP 100 and the QFP 208, a slight variation in technique is easily made with equally, if not even more effective results (call Zephyrtronics for details...we can't teach our competitors all of our tricks).

For SMD Component Removal, please be sure to see LowMelt
® Process of Co-Metalization and Rapid SMD Removal in Less Than 180 Seconds and learn more about the history and benefits of the popular Zephyrtronics LowMelt DeSolder®.

Please note: Zephyrtronics has conveniently packaged all of the above described chemicals, Zephpaste Solder Paste, Anti-Static Swabs, SMT/Dental Probes, LowMelt® DeSolder and more in the LMK-1000 SMD Benchtop Kit our Blueprint for the Bench™, or best of all, please visit our "Systems Section" in this Website where our more popular, comprehensive benchtop systems are graphically presented.

 

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©1996 - 2007 Zephyrtronics®. All rights reserved. The information you receive online from Zephyrtronics® is protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The copyright laws prohibit any copying, redistributing, retransmitting, or repurposing of any copyright-protected material. Zephyrtronics is the registered trademark property of JTI, Inc. "The Science of Zephyrtronics" and "Simplicity Through Innovation" and "Zephlux" and "ZeroLead" and "Zero Balling" and "Zero Residue" and "Post Cooling" are the protected trademark property of JTI, Inc. "Zephyrtronics" and "Low Melt" and "Air Fountain" and "Fountainhead" are the registered trademark properties of JTI Inc. *The above names are the registered property of their respective owners.

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