No One Knows More About
Preheating PCB's Than Zephyrtronics!
ZT-1
HIS PRE-HEATING
AIRBATH™
SYSTEMS
Bottom-Side Convection Pre-Heating for PCB, Thru-Hole, SMD, SMT,
QFN & BGA Rework & Repair. Our Heavy Industrial Series!
Effective, Powerful 800 Watts With 25 CFM AIR SUPPLY
(710 Liters per Minute)
Zephyrtronics' AirBath “bathes the circuit board in warm air to
reduce thermal stresses to the board and its components.”-- NASA
Report, January 9, 2004
Here are our award winning and patent-protected
ZT-1-HIS (Heavy Industrial)
AirBath™
Pre-heating Systems, your effective solution
for pre-heating PCB assemblies during low-volume or prototyping tasks, and in rework and repair.
Two Models: Digital & Analog! Our
ZT-1-HISAirBaths™
are available in two popular models: digital or analog. Both
models feature a powerful 25 CFM (710 Liters/Minute) of air supply.
And because of our
greater volume of air supply, you can pre-heat at far lower
temps than with other ineffective preheating devices
limited by their low air volume outputs and which require higher
temps and which will burn your boards. Not an imitative,
"preheating toy", this is a preheating tool.
800 Watts of Power: Coupled with our ample air output is
our 800 Watts of preheating capacity. This is effective
preheating by design!
The ZT-1-HIS
AirBath™ Was Chosen By Boeing for the International Space Station
Project.
Preheat Power:
Our
ZT-1-HIS AirBath™
Systems,with a generous and powerful 25
CFM (710 Liters/Minute) of air supply from the AirCone™
delivers its forced-convection preheating power for even the
most challenging PCB's.
Beware of imitative
pre-heaters with less than 13CFM (360 liters/minute) that
crudely attempt to compensate for their wimpy air volume
through
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 for
your PCB's.
Loaded With Premium Features:
The ZT-1-HIS 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 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
Ramping: TheZT-1-HIS AirBaths™ have the
industry standard, built-in temp ramp 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 AirBath™ Preheating System. Our
ramping was essential to Motorola®
and Boeing with their space applications.
ZT-1-HIS HEAVY INDUSTRIAL AIRBATH PREHEATERS
DESCRIPTION
MODEL
PRICE
BUY
NOW
DIGITAL
AIRBATH
25 CFM Air Power
(710 Liter/Min) 800 Watt Power
ZT-1-HIS-DPU-120
120 Volt for the U.S., Canada & Mexico
$1,395
ZT-1-HIS-DPU-230
230 Volt for
Our
International
Customers
$1395
ANALOG
AIRBATH
25 CFM Air Power
(710 Liter/Min)
800 Watt Power
ZT-1-HIS-MIL-120
120 Volt for the
U.S., Canada & Mexico
$999
* We manufacture
many other sizes of AirBaths. Note that the
HIS Series is our mid-range capacity of pre-heaters
in our extensive
AirBath Catalog.
We have an AirBath Preheater tailored to your
company's PCB needs.
ABC SERIES OF ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLES
DESCRIPTION
MODEL
PRICE
BUY
NOW
ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE 3-RAIL (10” X 18” MAX)
ABC-1
$195
ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE 3-RAIL (20” X 18” MAX)
ABC-2
$235
ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE QUATRO (10” X 18” MAX)
ABC-1-Q
$235
ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE QUATRO (20” X 18” MAX)
ABC-2-Q
$275
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!
For Thru-Hole, SMT & BGA Preheating Tasks: TheHIS Series AirBath Preheating Systems
is ideal for all PCB challenges from low-volume production
runs, prototyping during design or during rework with all
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
superb benefit the
AirBath
preheating boost brings to your tough through-hole (PTH)
soldering and de-soldering tasks! Plus, it easily handles
all substrates including FR-4, polyimide, composites, flex
circuits and ceramic boards.
Two AirBath™ HIS
Models:
Our
HIS Series of AirBaths™
are available in two models: Analog and Digital. Both models
feature variable temperature selection between ambient (room
temp) and up to 205°C. Both models feature closed-loop
feedback temperature sensing control. The analog model has a
dial for temp selection on the front panel. The digital
model incorporates a digital set/read lighted display that
permits single digit/degree incremental temperature
selection in the "set" mode and tracks real time temperature
at the air exit point above the grids. Our Analog Model
provides the two most common preheat settings: 100°C and 150°C.
Model ZT-1-HIS-DPU
Features Digital Temp Display With Temp
Set
& Read Functions
on Front Panel.
Model ZT-1-HIS-MIL
Features the Two Most Common Preheat Temps:
100°C & 150°C By Rocker Switch.
Your Lead-Free Solution: Working with the newer 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! If you just 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.
The RoHS Lead-Free Solder Mandate:
Learn more here about the
European Lead-Free
Mandate & Preheating.
Our AirBath™ preheaters are your RoHS
solution. They make working with lead-free
solder a breeze.
All Pre-Heaters Are Not Created Equally:
Some of the helpful applications and utilities of the
ZTAirBaths™
1. Achieve
High-End Superb Thermal
Profiles at the Bench with the industry standard
2°-4°C ramping to preheat!
The 2°-4°C ramp is
"built in" to every AirBath™ preventing thermal shock to
ceramic capacitors, glass diodes and temperature
sensitive chips. Ramping helps prevent "pop-corning" of
moisture within I.C.'s. Importantly, preheat allows flux
activation and lower temps on the topside of the PCB
with your soldering tools. Effective preheat prevents
scorching substrates, damaging pads and components during
rework or prototyping.
2. New Rework
Paradigm: Remove SMD's
under 150°C (300°F) with just the AirBath™and LOWMELT®DeSolder through the process of co-metalization. No
nozzles! No lifting pads! No more burning PCB's! Your AirBath™
puts this nifty rework option at your fingertips.
Video: SMD Removal With LowMelt®.
3. Non-Contact Hot Air Soldering:
The AirBath™
preheat permits the use of solder "paste" -- as well as
solder wire with only a
Hot AirPencil.
This is a 100% non-contact (NASA calls it "non-touch")
method of soldering at the bench. See it done here:
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 de-soldering thru-hole chips a breeze! Place your PCB over the AirBath™,
turn down temp settings on your desoldering tools and stop
lifting pads. You'll never de-solder thru-hole
without preheat again.
5. Heat Shrink Tubing: The AirBath™ is ideal for shrink tube.
Where heat guns burn and tear insulation or shrink tubing, the AirBath™ is temp controlled.
6. BGA,
QFN Soldering &
DeSoldering. The AirBath™
is stand-alone, yet also a modular part of the comprehensive ZT-7BGA Hot
Air System.
The AirBath™
has the essential features for BGA processing:
industry standard ramp rate; "post-cooling" rapid
cool-down (critical for BGA reflow process); and
a powerful
25CFM
(710
Liters/Minute)
of preheat
power permitting lower final reflow temps from your nozzles.
See BGA rework:
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 Solder Reflow With
the AirBath and a
Hot AirPencil.
Yields Highest Quality Joints.
Thru-Hole Desoldering Made Easier & At Lower Temps With The AirBath Preheat Heavy Ground Planes? No Problem!
Ideal For Heat Shrink Tubing Applications.
Far Superior To Uncontrolled Heat Guns!
The AirBath™
Works Perfectly with the ZT-7-MIL
BGA, CSP, SMT & Thru-Hole Hot Air Reflow Center.
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:
The short video at the right breaks down these four
methods with video comparative demonstrations. 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:Using ovens to pre-heat a PCB 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 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 could preheat a PCB
within an oven, and then afterward, rush it back to your
bench, but it's hardly practical 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.
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.
"Hot air is more
versatile than a hot plate due to the
non-uniform parts on the bottom of the board."
-- Glen Dody, Manager Motorola's SMT Lab
National Journal of SMT, 1996
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.
The Post-Cooling™ Mode of the AirBath™
Cools Down BGA's After Soldering Within 8
Seconds Allowing Quicker Lifting Hot Air Nozzles
Preventing Bridging.
Zephyrtronics Led and Leads the World in Preheating PCB's: Judged "Best New Product of the Year" and winner of the prestigious "Vision Award" at the Surface Mount International Expo in Silicon Valley
in 1996 for its milestone contribution to the global production
of printed circuit cards , Zephyrtronics' AirBath™was
recognized and spotlighted by SMT Magazine in 1997 as a "safer and simpler method for removing and repairing sensitive devices."
True, our
AirBaths™
have inspired a lot of cheesy imitations which are little more
than hair dryers in a box, but that aside, we are still the
pioneers and understand the thermodynamics of preheating better
than anyone else. Our
AirBaths™
are the intelligent solution to stop burning up your printed
circuit board assemblies by preventing 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.
Fully MIL-Spec Compliant and Approved for Space
Applications!
ZT-1-HIS HEAVY INDUSTRIAL AIRBATH PREHEATERS
DESCRIPTION
MODEL
PRICE
BUY
NOW
DIGITAL
AIRBATH PREHEATING SYSTEM
25 CFM Air Power 800 Watt Power
ZT-1-HIS-DPU-120
(120 Volt for the U.S., Canada & Mexico)
$1,395
ZT-1-HIS-DPU-230
(230 Volt For All
Int'l Customers)
$1,395
ANALOG
AIRBATH PREHEATING SYSTEM
25 CFM Air Power 800 Watt Power
ZT-1-HIS-MIL-120
(120 Volt for the U.S., Canada & Mexico)
$999
* We manufacture
many other sizes of AirBaths. Note that the HIS Series
is our mid-range capacity of pre-heaters in our extensive
AirBath Catalog.
We have an AirBath Preheater tailored to your company's PCB
needs.
ABC SERIES OF ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLES
DESCRIPTION
MODEL
PRICE
BUY
NOW
ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE 3-RAIL (10” X 18” MAX)
ABC-1
$195
ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE 3-RAIL (20” X 18” MAX)
ABC-2
$235
ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE QUATRO (10” X 18” MAX)
ABC-1-Q
$235
ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE QUATRO (20” X 18” MAX)
ABC-2-Q
$275
The ZT-HIS-DPU
Digital AirBath™, Established the Standard for Preheating.
Suprisingly Compact in Footprint, It Delivers 25CFM (710
Liters/Minute) and 800 Watts of Pre-heat Power.
TECHNICAL DATA & SPECS
Models: ZT-1-HIS-DPU-120:
120 VAC (U.S., Canada & Mexico)
Digital Model ZT-1-HIS-DPU-230:
230 VAC International Digital Mode ZT-1-HIS-MIL-120:
120 VAC (U.S., Canada & Mexico)
Analog
Model
Other: (All Models)
Power:800
Watts Electrical Construction: 3-Wire
Input with Earth Safety Ground W x H x D:12" x 4.5" x 7.2" (30 cm x 11 cm x
18 cm)
Weight:5.3 lbs (2.41 Kg) Air
Volume: 25CFM or 710 Liters/Minute Temperature Modes:
Preheating & Cooling from AirCone™ Preheat
Temp Range: Ambient (Room Temp) to 205°C (400°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-STD
Air Supply: Self-Contained Internal Supply (No
Air Hookups)
Construction: All Metal ESD Safe
Construction
Warranty:
One Year Limited
Warranty Parts & Labor
Recommended: Use With ABC Series of
Board Cradles / Fixtures
FEATURES & BENEFITS
The
Preheating System Used By Boeing on International Space
Station
Prevents Thermal Shock of Components
Permits Lower Soldering & DeSoldering Reflow Temperatures
Ideal for the Heaviest PCB's & Lead-Free Applications
Helps Prevent Warping Substrates & Damaging Pads
Superior Forced Convection Preheating
800
Watts of Preheat Power
Powerful 25 CFM (710
Liters/Minute) Air Volume
Digital & Analog Models
Illuminated Indicator Lights. Pre-Heating: Red.
Cooling: Blue.
Analog Preheating Model: Dual Settings 100°C & 150°C
Digital Preheating Model: Variable Temp From Room Temp
to 205°C
Preheating Ramp Rate at Industry Standard 2°-4°C Per Second
Self-Contained (No Air Hook-Ups Required)
Small, Compact Construction Respects Benchtop Space
ESD Safe
One Year Limited Warranty Parts & Labor
Every Unit is
Individually Calibrated at Zephyrtronics' California Factory
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES
DESCRIPTION
ITEM
PRICE
BUY
NOW
EXTRA/REPLACEMENT POSTS (SET OF 4) 2-POST AND
8-POST POSITIONING (8 POSTS ALLOW PCB INSIDE OF
ABC TO BE FLIPPED UP & DOWN DURING THRU-HOLE
DESOLDERING)
