We Were "The First" & No One Still Knows More About Preheating PCB's Than Zephyrtronics!
COMPACT, ECONO™ AIRBATH PRE-HEATERSBottom-Side Convection PCB Preheat for Thru-Hole, SMD, SMT, QFN & BGA Rework & Repair. With Post Cooling™.
Two Economy AirBaths From the Inventors of Stand-Alone Bottom Side PCB Preheating
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
TM
Zephyrtronics
First
Introduced the World
to True Benchtop
ZeroTouch™
Soldering
TM
See
Details Below
Made in the U.S.A. Quality
Standard
Analog Compact AirBath Over
10 CFM
(285 Liters/Minute) Air Volume.
Our Analog ZT-1-CLS-MIL AirBath™ Delivers
More Than Double
in Preheat Power
Than Others in Its Class.
Deluxe Digital
Compact AirBath Over
15 CFM
(430 Liters/Minute) Air Volume.
Our Digital ZT-1-CLS-DPU AirBath™ Delivers
As Much As
Triple in Preheat Power
Than Others in Its Class. Big,
Easy to Read LED Digital Display
Real Preheat Power in Compact Form:
We
engineered our patented preheating technology into two
powerful, yet compact systems within our trademark, famous
pyramidal design. Packing double and triple preheating air volume capacity of other small profile
preheaters, the
ZT-1-CLS
AirBaths™ have 1-year limited factory
warranty.
Digital & Analog!
ZT-1-CLSAirBaths™
are available in two models. And don't underestimate the PCB
preheat power of the famous AirBaths™.
1.)
ZT-1-CLS-DPU Deluxe Digital AirBath™ packs
15CFM (430-liters/min.) forced-convection preheat
power...over 3 times more preheat/post-cool™ power of
others in its size and class!
And our big LED
digital display blows away others with inferior, so
hard-to-read awful LED displays.
2.) And our
ZT-1-CLS-MIL Analog AirBath™ which, while not
quite as powerful as the Deluxe Model, still packs over 10
CFM (285 liters/minute) of forced convection preheat and
post-cooling™ -- twice the output of other compact
preheaters.
Key to PCB Preheating: Successful PCB preheat
is made, not with higher temps of low-volume preheated air,
but lower temps with effective volumes of preheated air.
Beware of imitative pre-heaters with less than 10CFM (285
liters/minute) that crudely attempt to compensate for their
lack of air volume with higher temp settings!
Keep in mind that the critical glass transition of a FR-4
PCB is only
170°C (338°F)! You don't want higher preheat temps,
you want a higher volume of safe preheated (100°C to 170°C)
air for your PCB's. (See more below.)
Your Lead-Free Solution:
Working with the lead-free, RoHS compliant solder alloys
that have higher melting points makes preheat more essential
to 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!
Briefly preheat the bottom of your PCB before reflow,
can perform your soldering or desoldering on the top side of
the board at traditional, lower temperatures.
ZT-1-CLS COMPACT, ECONO AIRBATH™ PREHEATERS
DESCRIPTION
MODEL
BUY NOW
ANALOG COMPACT AIRBATH™
10 CFM (285 Liter/Min)
Preheat Air Volume With PostCooler™.
Board Cradle Not Included.
ZT-1-CLS-MIL
120 Volt for the
U.S., Canada
& Mexico
$495.00
DIGITAL
COMPACT AIRBATH™
15
CFM (430 Liter/Min)
Preheat Air Volume With PostCooler™.
Board Cradle Not Included.
ZT-1-CLS-DPU
120 Volt for the
U.S., Canada
& Mexico
$795.00
ZT-1-CLS-DPU-230
230 Volt for
Int'l
Customers
$795.00
* We manufacture many other sizes of AirBaths. Please note that CLS
Compact AirBaths are our smallest preheaters and may be too small for
bigger PCB's. See our full AirBath Directory. We have AirBath Preheater
tailored to your PCB's.
ABC SERIES OF ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLES™
DESCRIPTION
MODEL
BUY NOW
TINY BOARD CRADLE
3-RAIL (8.5”
X 13”)
Ships with 4 Standard
Posts
ABC-TT
$345
TINY BOARD CRADLE
QUATRO™ (8.5”
X 13”)
Ships with 4 Standard
Posts
ABC-TQ
$395
* Please note that our T-Series of ABC Adjustable PCB Cradles only fit
the CLS-Compact AirBath™ Preheaters shown on this web page.
More Details
Why Preheat?
The benefits of preheating are multiple and compounding.
Here are the primary reasons:
1.) Preheating or "soaking" a PCB assy. prior to
solder
reflow helps activate flux, removing oxides and
surface films from leads and pads,
thereby enhancing the wetting process and solder joint
quality. 2.) PCB preheating allows lower soldering
reflow temperatures. 3.) Preheat reduces the final
"dwell time" during the final reflow stage. 4.)
Preheat 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.) Preheat
provides a thermal boost when working with RoHS lead-free
solders without damaging the work!
Loaded With Premium Features:
The
ZT-1 AirBaths™get 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 illuminated 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.
Critical Thermal
Ramp: Zephyrtronics
AirBaths™ have the
industry standard, built-in temperature ramp of 2° to 4°C
per second preventing thermal shock to sensitive chips,
ceramic caps, glass diodes
and when micro-soldering.
Our ramping was essential to Motorola®
and Boeing® for space applications.
Yes, Zephyrtronics pioneered it.
PostCooling™ your PCB at the bench after
solder reflow was first introduced to the market by
Zephyrtronics nearly 20 years ago. Today anyone
knowledgeable with processing BGA's at the bench
knows how critical post cooling is to the process so
as to form strong solder columns between the pad and
the chip so they will not "open" up later. This is
very important. Quick cooling produce far stronger, more
resilient solder joints even with hand soldering.
It's no wonder that all
high-volume PCB conveyor ovens have a final "cool
down".
Thru-Hole, SMT & BGA
Preheating Tasks:TheZT-1 AirBaths™
are ideal for all PCB challenges from low-volume production
runs, prototyping during design or rework with
SMD packages such as
BGA, CSP, QFP, QFN,
TSOP, PLCC, SOIC, SOL, LCC, Flip Chip and Glob Top
components. Still, the AirBath
is not limited to only SMD devices: Don't overlook the
AirBath preheating boost brings for your
tough through-hole (PTH) soldering and de-soldering tasks!
It easily handles all substrates including FR-4,
polyimide, composites, flex circuits and ceramic boards.
Compact AirBath™
Models.
Both models have
variable temperature control selection
starting at ambient (room temp) and
feature Zephyrtronics famous
AirCones™.
A Compact
Analog Model
has a temp selection
dial on the front panel with 10 CFM Air
Volume. Almost double of those in its
size.
A Deluxe Compact
Digital Model features a
digital set/read lighted display that
permits you single digit (degree) incremental
temperature selection in the "set" mode.
Remember: The greater the volume of
preheated air immediately translates into into lower, safer
PCB preheating temperatures.
All Pre-heaters Are Not Created Equal
1. Achieve Superb Thermal Profiles at the Bench with
industry standard 2°-4°C ramping to preheat!
This critical ramp is
"built in" to all AirBaths™ preventing thermal shock to
ceramic capacitors, glass diodes and temp
sensitive chips. Ramping helps prevent "pop-corning" of
moisture within I.C.'s. Preheat allows flux
activation and lower temps on the topside of the PCB
with your soldering tools. Effective preheat prevents
scorched substrates, damaged pads and chips in rework
or prototyping.
2. DeSolder &
Remove SMD's under 150°C (300°F)
with only
AirBath™preheat
andLowMelt®DeSolder
by the co-metalization process. No nozzles! No
lifted pads! No burned PCB's!
Video: SMD Removal With LowMelt®.
4. Thru-Hole Rework:
Heavy ground planes? High copper content? Big heat sinks? No
problem! Your
AirBath™ makes de-soldering thru-hole chips a
breeze! Place your PCB over the AirBath™,
lower the temps on your desoldering tools. Stop lifting
pads. You'll never
de-solder thru-hole without preheat again.
5. Ideal for Shrink Tubing, the
AirBath™
is temperature controlled unlike heat guns that burn and
tear insulation and shrink tubing.
6. BGA, QFN Soldering &
DeSoldering. The AirBath™ is a
stand-alone, yet also a modular part of the
ZT-7BGA Hot
Air System.
The AirBath™ has
the essential features for BGA processing:
industry standard ramp rate; "post-cooling" rapid
cool-down (required for BGA's; and 25CFM (710
Liters/Minute) of preheat power
permitting lower final reflow temps.
Video: BGA & SMD De-Soldering in 3
Minutes.
Preheating PCB at Benchtop
Mimics High Quality Thermal Profiles on Production Floor
Remove Chip Quickly at Less
Than 150°C with AirBath &
LOWMELT®
"Never Lift A Pad"
100% Non Contact , SMT Hot
Air Soldering & Micro-Soldering: AirBath
&
Hot AirPencil.
For Highest Quality!
Easy Thru-Hole Desoldering
At Lower Temps With AirBath Preheat Heavy Ground
Planes? No Problem!
AllAirBaths™
Sit
Below
the
ZT-7-MIL
BGA, SMD & Thru-Hole Hot Air Station.
Ideal
For Heat Shrink Tubing Applications.
Far Superior To Uncontrolled Heat Guns!
Comparing the Four Methods of Preheating
Preheating PCB assemblies falls into four categories:
1.) hot plates, 2.) ovens, 3.) IR systems, and 4.)
forced convection (warm air) under a PCB:
The short video at the right breaks down these four
methods with comparative demonstrations.
While any PCB preheat prior to soldering is better than
none, an objective analysis of the various methods of
preheating reveals that
all preheating methods are not equally effective or
beneficial:
1.) Ovens:Using ovens to preheat before rework and
soldering 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
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 with an oven, and then rush
the PCB back to your bench, but it's hardly practical
solution.
Hundreds of Zephyrtronics AirBaths™ Utilized to
Build the International Space Station (ISS)
39-Page Rework Guide
by NASA with Zephyrtronics AirBaths™
Zephyrtronics AirBaths™ Used on the Mars
Rover & Phoenix Programs.
Photo Credit: NASA
3.)
Hot Plates:
The obvious
limitation to the hot plate is that not all PCB
assemblies are single sided. 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. PC board
assemblies are never the same from one to
another. They can be populated with many
disparate devices such as heat-sinks,
connectors, relays, and transformers on both sides. These uneven surfaces on PCB'
present an indirect path of heat conduction from
hot plates to the board.
"Hot
air is more versatile than a hot plate due to
non-uniform parts on the bottom of the PC Board." Glen Dody, Motorola Lab National Journal of SMT, '96
4.) Superior AirBath™
Forced Convection Preheat™The PC board assembly market
has long spoken with regards to the
distinct advantages and superiority of a
warm air
bath in the pre-heating
process. It is why most all high
reliability governmental and quality
commercial PCB production, design and
rework/repair groups stick to and with
forced convection preheating: it is
superior.
Forced convection completely disregards
the topography (or bottomography) of a
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.
Unlike IR "systems", there's another
tremendous advantage with Zephyrtronics
AirBaths™ -- temp control is "built-in".
No small distinction! No fumbling with
taping
thermocouples on top of PCB's. AirBath™
preheat has temp control
by dial or push button with accuracy and
repeatability saving time, hassle, scrap and
money.
Finally, forced convection preheaters multi-task for cooling down PCB's
after soldering which is critical to
solder joint integrity as the
next section explains.
2.)
IR:
There are many drawbacks with infrared and why
it really never completely caught on. Some
of the drawbacks (enumerated in articles and
white papers) are the difficulty in ramping
temps, darker surfaces heating more than lighter
ones ('albedo' effect), shadowing caused by high
profile devices on PCB's. Some chips require
shielding (aluminum foil!) with IR. If an IR
preheater is very large, working on small PCB's
can be very uncomfortable for techs (a common
complaint).
Another quality disadvantage
of IR preheaters is they are not
"temperature controlled" without taping an
external thermocouple onto each PCB before
working on it...a hassle/headache for techs and filled with quality pitfalls,
and inconsistent results. There are more
drawbacks, but these are some of the worst. NASA & JPL: 'IR Preheaters Are Risky':
Addressing the preheating
process for heat sensitive chips in a
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."
Citing the late
William Scheu, the authors point to the
superiority of bottom-side preheating with forced
convection systems. The JPL/NASA Survey
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"
Aug.'05
Post-Cooling™ Feature Built Into The AirBaths™
Post-Cooling™ Mode Cools Down BGA's After Reflow
Within 8 Seconds Allowing Quicker Lifting Hot
Air Nozzles Preventing Bridges
Another AirBath™ advantage is with flipping a
switch the unit transforms into a post-cooler™
cooling down your PCB, chips and solder joints.
PostCooling™ is essential to soldering BGA's
because hot air nozzles must not be lifted from
above a BGA until all the balled joints have
cooled so as not to cause unwanted bridging.
Important: hot plates, static ovens and IR
plates do not provide the critical post-cooling™
feature standard on every Zephyrtronics
AirBath™.
Our
AirBaths™ cool BGA's in 8 seconds
permitting the hot air nozzle to be lifted
without fear of bridging. Without post-cooling™
a tech must wait for the ball/pad
interface to solidify completely before lifting
the nozzle to inspect the reflow.
The PostCooling™ feature
remedies this problem allowing rapid lifting of
a hot air nozzle from the BGA after soldering.
Again, our engineers introduced the
concept of post-cooling™ to the benchtop
clear back in 1994.
Zephyrtronics Led the World to Preheat:
Judged "Best New Product of the Year" and winner of the
prestigious "Vision Award" at the Surface Mount
International Expo in Silicon Valley for its milestone
contribution to the global production of printed circuit
boards, Zephyrtronics
AirBath™was
recognized and spotlighted by SMT Magazine in
1997 as a "safer and simpler method for removing and
repairing sensitive devices." We are still
the original pioneers and we understand the thermodynamics
of PCB preheating better than anyone else.
Our
AirBaths™
are the intelligent solution to prevent thermal
degradation, thermal shock, lifting pads & traces,
substrate delamination, measling and warping of your
boards.
It
is no wonder for over fifteen years now, these
Zephyrtronics
AirBaths™
have become the pre-heater of choice of nearly every
major aerospace and semiconductor manufacturer. It truly
is the one single tool that belongs on every bench.
This is the "Science of Zephyrtronics." We have an
AirBath™
for you.
ZT-1-CLS-DPU Digital AirBath™ is Compact and Delivers
15CFM (430 Liters/Minute) & 600 Watts Pre-heat Power.
Other: (All Models)
Power: Up to 600 WattsElectrical Construction: 3-Wire Input with Earth Safety GroundW x H x D:8" x 4.5" x 7" (20 cm x 11 cm x 17 cm)
Weight:5.3 lbs (2.41 Kg)
Air Volume (Forced Convection With PostCooler™)
Deluxe Digital Model:15 CFM (430 liters/minute)Analog Model:10 CFM (285 liters/minute)
Temp Modes: Preheat & PostCooler™ by Patented AirCone™
Preheat Temp Range:
Deluxe Digital Model:Ambient (Room Temp) to 205°C (400°F)Analog Model:Ambient (Room Temp) to 190°C (375°F)Preheat Ramp Rate: 2-4° C per second
Cooling Temp: Ambient (Room Temp)Temperature Stability:± 3°C (± 5 °F) at Idle.Absolute Temperature Stability:Meets or Exceeds ANSI-J-STDAir Supply: Self-Contained Internal Supply (No Air Hookups)
Construction: All Metal ESD Safe Construction
Warranty: One Year Limited Warranty Parts & LaborRecommended: Use With ABC Series of Board Cradles / Fixtures
FEATURES & BENEFITS
Award Winning, Patented Preheat Technology
Used By Boeing on the International Space Station
Prevents Thermal Shock of Components
Permits Lower Soldering & De-Soldering Reflow Temperatures
Ideal for the Heaviest PCB's & Lead-Free Applications
Helps Prevent Warping Substrates & Damaging Pads
Superior Forced Convection Preheating
Up to 500 Watts of Preheat PowerTriple & Double the Air Volume of All Other Compact Preheaters
Digital Closed Loop & Analog Temp Control Models
Trademarked PostCooler™ Feature
Variable Temperature Control
Lighted Indicator Lights. Pre-Heating: Red. Cooling: Blue.
Preheating Ramp Rate at Industry Standard 2°-4°C Per Second
Self-Contained (No Air Hook-Ups Required)
Small, Compact Construction Respects Benchtop Space
Every Unit is Calibrated at the Zephyrtronics California Factory
One Year Limited Warranty Parts & Labor
MIL-Spec, RoHS Compliant, ESD Safe
Every Unit is Calibrated at the Zephyrtronics California Factory
ZT-1-HIS HEAVY INDUSTRIAL AIRBATH™ PREHEATERS
Description
Model
Price
Buy Now
ANALOG COMPACT AIRBATH™
10 CFM (285 Liter/Min)
Preheat Air Volume With PostCooler™
Board Cradle Not Included.
ZT-1-CLS-MIL
120 Volt for the
U.S., Canada & Mexico
$495.00
DIGITAL COMPACT AIRBATH™
15
CFM (430 Liter/Min)
Preheat Air Volume With PostCooler™
Board Cradle Not Included.
ZT-1-CLS-DPU
120 Volt for the
U.S., Canada & Mexico
$795.00
ZT-1-CLS-DPU-230
230 Volt for the Int'l
Customers
$795.00
* We manufacture many other sizes of AirBaths. Please note: the CLS Compact Series are our smallest pre-heaters. Our larger
preheaters have even more air volume preheating power, which is the secret to successful preheating: greater volume of
preheated air, not higher temps that destroy PCB's. See our full AirBath Directory. We have AirBath tailored to your PCB's.
ABC SERIES OF ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLES™
Description
Model
Price
Buy Now
TINY BOARD CRADLE
3-RAILS (8.5” X
13”)
SHIPS WITH 4 STANDARD
POSTS
ABC-TT
$345
TINY BOARD CRADLE
QUATRO™ (8.5” X 13”)
4 RAILS SHIPS
WITH 4 STANDARD POSTS
ABC-TQ
$395
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES
Description
Model
Price
Buy Now
EXTRA or REPLACEMENT POSTS (Set of 4)
2-Post and 8-Post Positioning
(8 Posts Allow PCB & ABC to Be Flipped Up & Down During Thru-Hole Desoldering)