Mid-Level Benchtop Reflow Oven

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pnoyes
 
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Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2016 12:16 pm

Mid-Level Benchtop Reflow Oven

Post by pnoyes »

I am looking to move in house assembly of prototypes under our own roof. Our boards are typically very small, but it is nice to be able to do as many at the same time as possible. We need to do lead free soldering. I have been evaluating different options of ovens in the 5k price range. Much of the information out there seems dated at this point and I am having difficulty understanding the best model for us. Also, would Nitrogen be worth the added complexity? I can't seem to find an honest review comparing the reliability of these machines to each other. Here are some of the models I have been looking at:

LPKF ProtoFlow S Reflow Oven
Mancorp MC-301

I also want to know what the advantage of those ovens would be over this one:

http://www.smtmax.com/detail.php?id=225

Any information would be much appreciated!

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SDMI
 
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Joined: Thu May 14, 2015 10:49 pm

Re: Mid-Level Benchtop Reflow Oven

Post by SDMI »

I might suggest an option.

The t962a is a cheap Chinese oven that many retailers sell.

ESTechnical offers a controller upgrade that significantly improves performance.

http://www.estechnical.co.uk/reflow-con ... er-upgrade

Before you add nitrogen to your process I might suggest re-evaluating the paste you are using.

For many Lead Free assemblies I have used AIM M8 solder paste - it has a very wide process window and seems very easy to deal with. It also has a much better shelf life than other Lead Free pastes I have used.



www.sdmideas.com

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Manta5
 
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Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2019 1:03 am

Re: Mid-Level Benchtop Reflow Oven

Post by Manta5 »

Hi,

Can you advise what you chose in the end? I am looking at the QiHi QR-5040D but am little wary about the build quality and performance around hot spots etc.
The T962A is a little small for our needs.

Cheers,
Shane

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Christinacyr
 
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Joined: Mon Oct 26, 2015 1:44 am

Re: Mid-Level Benchtop Reflow Oven

Post by Christinacyr »

One team I was on purchased the Puhui T962 on sale for $206 on Amazon and it worked for smaller boards.

As Manta5 pointed out, even the slightly larger Puhui T962A may not provide enough space, if you have larger boards.

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dmpyron
 
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Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:14 am

Re: Mid-Level Benchtop Reflow Oven

Post by dmpyron »

Christinacyr wrote:One team I was on purchased the Puhui T962 on sale for $206 on Amazon and it worked for smaller boards.

As Manta5 pointed out, even the slightly larger Puhui T962A may not provide enough space, if you have larger boards.
I would emphasize the word "cheap" when talking about the T962. I've seen way too many discussions on the multiple "fixes" that were being applied to make it usable. It works, but I've seen things like the chassis not having a proper ground and the heaters not consistently placed (but movable) that are all "easy", but easy enough to be done on their factory floor, not yours. Check the reviews on Amazon and look at the multiple YouTube videos that all talk about the same four or five issues.

If I were actually buying an oven I'd look at spending around $1K. If I wanted to go cheap, say for a few prototypes or even low volume production, something like Whizzio can get you what might even be a better oven for around $300, if you're willing to do a little work and don't mind working around mains voltage. I would have to ask Jennifer what her oven is but it's way bigger than what I need. She said she spent about $1K, but bought it used.

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