Hi all, In a previous incarnation, I used and researched the vapor phase process. Yes, there are still companies marketing vp equipment and fluids. Where I worked, we needed a stable reflow medium that gave our boards ultimate heat transfer across the board. Vapor phase gave us this. The deltas measured were shockingly tight as compared to Convection reflow. I was truly amazed at the results we saw. (Larry Tawyea can back me up on this). Also, yes, the fluids are amazingly expensive. At around $1000.00 a gallon, that is pricy. 3M makes Fluorinert, I believe. Also, Galden makes some. There are more, but I can't remember. I remember hearing that Fluorinert is approved as a blood substitute for open-heart surgeries, that's kinda weird. All in all, with the high-temp, down-hole stuff we were building, the criticality of having ultimate thermal dispersion across the assy. was achieved with vapor phase. As for laser soldering, I've no experience. Hope this helps. Jason Gregory Software Specialist - NPI Group SCI Systems/Plant 2 13000 S. Memorial Pkwy. Huntsville, AL. 35803 (256) 882-4107 x3728 [log in to unmask] >>> [log in to unmask] 06/27/01 09:28AM >>> Werner brings up an interesting point. Does anyone have an opinion on the trends in solder reflow in the contract assembly industry? Are we seeing a resurgence in vapor phase? Has flowing nitrogen during infrared fallen to the wayside? Interested in seeing your responses. Best Regards, Craig -----Original Message----- From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Werner Engelmaier Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2001 1:19 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [TN] AW: [TN] Pad in Via for BGA's - Part II Hi Rush, Vapor phase soldering was and is thew most elegant engineering solution to soldering--no over-temperatures, no profiles, absolute temperature uniformity. What killed this approach in the past was inadequate equipment--thhis is no loger a problem. Werner Engelmaier ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt delivery of Technet send the following message: SET Technet NOMAIL Search previous postings at: www.ipc.org > On-Line Resources & Databases > E-mail Archives Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt delivery of Technet send the following message: SET Technet NOMAIL Search previous postings at: www.ipc.org > On-Line Resources & Databases > E-mail Archives Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt delivery of Technet send the following message: SET Technet NOMAIL Search previous postings at: www.ipc.org > On-Line Resources & Databases > E-mail Archives Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------