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March 2001

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Subject:
From:
Brian Ellis <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
TechNet E-Mail Forum.
Date:
Sat, 3 Mar 2001 09:18:11 +0200
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In the very early 1960s, I had this problem with a Fry's Flowsolder
machine (I think it was the first soldering machine to be put into
service in Switzerland). This machine had a fixed speed pump motor and a
sort of butterfly valve for controlling wave height. I put a geared down
DC motor on the valve shaft and fixed two insulated titanium rods (about
2 mm diameter) onto the conveyor guide. One rod was about 1.5 mm longer
than the other. A relay was connected to each rod, so that it was
activated when the rod was earthed (grounded) by contact with the wave.
If the long rod was not grounded, the motor was activated to open the
valve slowly until it was grounded. If both were grounded, the motor
closed the valve until the top rod was not touching the solder. This
always held the wave to the correct height, no matter the volume of
solder, the temperature, the position or angle of the conveyor, the
power voltage/frequency etc. It worked OK for 12 years until that
machine was definitively replaced, used mostly on boards 0.8 mm thick. I
can recollect only one occasion when solder overflowed the top surface
of the board, probably due to a sudden power surge, upping the solder
level before the controller could react. I don't think we ever had
solder skipping, except when a board had been incorrectly placed in the
pallet. Simple, cheap and effective.

In the case where the pump motor speed controls the wave height, a
similar system changing the speed could be easy to install.

FWIW

Brian

"Rougeux, Scott" wrote:
>
> Good Afternoon,
>
> I am interested in products or companies that can offer me a resolution for
> closed loop control of wave solder heights. Years ago I used to use a
> product called an AccuWave...is there anything out there similar to
> this................
>
> tanks
>
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