Equipping reflow soldering with a dedicated nitrogen generator in SMT production

In SMT production, nitrogen reflow soldering is key to improving lead-free process yield and reducing solder balls and cold solder joints. Equipping reflow soldering with a dedicated nitrogen generator (usually using Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology) can control the oxygen content inside the furnace to below 1000 ppm. The mainstream configuration and selection guidelines are as follows: [ 1 , 2 ]

• Nitrogen purity: typically required to be between 99.9% and 99.999%. High purity effectively prevents solder joints from blackening and oxidation.
• Gas consumption estimation: It depends on the furnace volume. Generally, each cubic meter of furnace cavity requires a nitrogen flow rate of (15 sim 20 text{ m}^3text{/h}).
• Exhaust parameters: The pressure is generally set at (0.5 ± 0.6 MPa), and the dew point needs to reach (-40°C ± -60°C) to maintain dryness. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]

• Purity stability: Select equipment equipped with an online oxygen analyzer and PLC monitoring to avoid purity fluctuations affecting batch welding quality.
• Technology type: SMT production lines mostly use PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) nitrogen generators. Compared with membrane separation technology, PSA can provide higher and more stable purity.
• Energy consumption and maintenance: Understand the power consumption per cubic meter of nitrogen (approximately 0.42 kW/m³ for high-quality equipment) and pay attention to the molecular sieve anti-powdering design. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]

Well-known brands and suppliers of nitrogen generators for the electronics industry and SMT (Surface Mount Technology) include:

• International brands: Parker Hannifin, Atlas Copco, Ingersoll Rand.
• Domestic mainstream brands: Suzhou Xinya, Hangzhou Jialong, Shanghai Shennong, etc. [ 1 ]

If you would like a more precise plan, please let me know:

1. or volume of the reflow oven you are using ?
2. the specific oxygen content requirements for your product's soldering processes (such as BGA, CSP packaging, etc.) ?
3. projected annual operating frequency of the production line ?

I can provide you with a further assessment of the specific gas production volume and equipment investment budget.