Gas phase soldering technology, also known as gas phase reflow soldering or condensation soldering, was developed by ITT Laboratory in the 1980s. It is independent of the structure, shape, and size of the PCB circuit board, making it almost the best reflow soldering technology available. However, it has faced challenges with temperature control and high costs. To enable all SMT practitioners to benefit from this technology, Jeenoce has introduced a German gas phase soldering system with patented technology to address these issues, delivering the best soldering quality for you or your customers.
Why is gas phase soldering called the best reflow soldering technology today?
First of all, the principle of gas phase soldering technology is to heat an inert medium with excellent thermal conductivity and high stability to a high temperature. For example, the German soldering system introduced by Jeenoce uses Galden® perfluoropolyether (PFPE). This medium vaporizes at high temperature into a non-toxic, harmless, corrosion-resistant, high-density vapor that does not react with electronic components. It forms a protective film on circuit board substrates and components of various structures and shapes, completing the soldering process while preventing oxidation.
Why is vapor phase soldering of higher quality than gas or liquid medium soldering?
Experiments show that the thermal conductivity of liquid media is very low (around 0.05 W/m·K), and simple gas heating is relatively fast. However, hot vapor provides heat insulation, protecting soldered products from high-temperature damage.
Why is the gas phase soldering technology introduced by Jeenoce a superior option for you?
In addition, the gas phase soldering technology introduced by Jeenoce offers superior high-temperature control, such as using pressure to ensure the medium contacts the solder at 10% superheat to maintain solderability. It also incorporates German low-temperature pressure control technology. Combined with Jeenoce's self-developed software control system, it can accurately and in real-time draw an infinitely close-to-perfect temperature curve, ensuring the best soldering results.
Technical components of the gas phase soldering system introduced by Jeenoce
Medium injection technology
Precise control of vapor injection through pressure indirectly manages temperature changes and dynamically optimizes the temperature curve for optimal soldering results.
Vacuum gas phase soldering technology
The original German factory cooperating with Jeenoce is a century-old family enterprise specializing in the soldering aspects of SMT assembly processes. It has extensive exclusive experience in vacuum applications and various soldering defects, such as research on the correlation between vacuum levels, client requirements, and void rates.
High efficiency cooling process
The three-stage furnace structure employs graded cooling, including bottom cooling for large or heavy components. Uniform cooling is achieved through synchronous flow from above and below.
Closed-Loop Medium Recovery Technology
All types of waste gases, residues, and liquids generated in the soldering process can be recycled and filtered. This not only ensures a dry and clean furnace environment but also allows 99.9% of the medium to be recovered and reused, greatly reducing the cost of gas phase soldering.
ViCON Software
The simple and user-friendly touch interface allows operators to easily control the entire soldering process. In addition, data traceability for the full production cycle can be tracked to each component. The system includes an MES interface for Industry 5.0, facilitating production process management and quality traceability.
What Issues Can Be Solved by the Gas Phase Soldering System Introduced by Jeenoce?
Tombstoning effect
Problem Description:General gas phase soldering equipment may cause components to stand up due to uneven surface tension, resulting in the tombstoning effect.
Solution:Through the German patented medium injection technology introduced by Jeenoce, precise control of vapor volume and temperature curve promotes surface tension balance, greatly reducing the probability of the tombstoning effect.
High cost of use
Problem Description:Early VPS systems used CFC, also known as Freon, which is a colorless, volatile gas at room temperature with a slight fragrance and low toxicity but stable chemical properties. Because it does not comply with the Montreal Protocol and EU REACH regulations, production stopped in 2010, leading to unstable prices. Additionally, dissipation and post-treatment costs are higher.
Solution:Use Galden® perfluoropolyether with high heat transfer efficiency and boiling point, which increases efficiency while reducing costs through an efficient Galden® recycling system and low-consumption design.
Soldering Challenges in Large/Complex PCBs
Problem Description:For large or high-heat soldering demands, it is difficult to ensure product quality. Introducing a vacuum reflow soldering system with central support only addresses general temperature issues for large PCBs.
Solution:Through ViCON software and an intelligent contour system, real-time monitoring and dynamic fine-tuning of the temperature curve during the soldering process, combined with vapor control, ensure soldering quality for large, complex-shaped, high-heat circuit boards.
What is the difference between gas phase soldering, wave soldering,and reflow soldering technologies?
| Vapor Phase Soldering (VPS) | Wave Soldering | Reflow Soldering |
Soldering Method | Heating medium forms vapor to uniformly transfer heat energy for soldering | Melted solder wave contacts and wets the pins for soldering | Hot air/infrared heating solder paste soldering |
Applicable Components | Mainly SMT but also supports THT and complex PCBs | Mainly THT, some SMT (e.g., double-sided soldering) | Mainly SMT, some THT |
Heat Transfer Efficiency | High (10 times higher than reflow soldering) | Moderate | Moderate |
Temperature control | Precise | Moderate | Precise |
Oxidation control | Excellent | Poor | Moderate (depends on brand) |
Voids control | Excellent | General | Moderate (depends on brand) |
Application scenarios | Aerospace, medical, military, and other high-reliability, complex PCB soldering processes | Traditional circuit board soldering | High-precision SMT (depends on product) |
If your customers or application fields are in aerospace, medical, military, solar energy and other new energies, electric vehicle reliability, or more complex industries (with complex structures, shapes, or large PCBs), you can fill in the form to obtain the gas phase soldering system solution as your first choice.
Precisely controlled temperature curve
The temperature curve is precisely controlled by controlling the content of the gas phase liquid according to the process stage
It can meet the soldering requirements of almost all temperature sensitive components with guaranteed quality
The patented technology ensures uniform temperature distribution between the soldering surface and the structure
The peak temperature of lead-free material is stable at 230-240℃ to avoid the influence of high temperature
The minimum void rate can reach less than 1%, suitable for aerospace、automotive and other fields of large circuit board soldering requirements
Full production cycle cost control
Equipped with recycling systems and filters to reduce material waste and component replacement frequency
99.9% of the vapor liquid can be recovered and purified for secondary use to save costs
Galden® liquid does not have any impact on the environment and does not require post-treatment costs
Strict control of temperature changes saves long-term power usage costs
German patent soldering environment maintenance technology
Three-stage furnace distributed intermittent injection of inert gas to maintain oxygen content < 100ppm environment
The fifth generation vacuum process of gas phase soldering in Germany controls the pressure curve to avoid splashing of solder
It is suitable for void-free soldering scenarios such as BGA components and power electronics DCB substrates
It has a very obvious advantage for MID and other 3D complex structure soldering
Compliant with European and American electronic green production standards
The gas phase soldering system introduced by Jeenoce is fully compliant with the Montreal Protocol and RoHS regulations
It complies with the requirements of the EU WEEE Directive on waste minimization by reducing the carbon footprint
The latent heat transfer efficiency of VPS is about 10 times higher than that of traditional convective reflow to further save energy
The anaerobic environment and cleaning process of VPS meet the emission standards of EU REACH regulations
Powerful software control system
Real-time monitoring of key parameters through touch screen interface to reduce soldering defects
ViCON software integrates MES (Manufacturing Execution System) to trace production issues
Optimize the production process by recording and storing all process data through the system
Adjust material usage in real time during soldering process to reduce error costs
It has various operation functions such as adding taskbar, structural parameters, independent process and archiving
Ultimate Technical Capability and Service Experience
Jeenoce, positioned as a solution integrator, can provide one-stop intelligent upgrade solutions based on your requirements
The service encompasses pre-sales communication, problem-solving, solution presentation, project undertaking, inspection, delivery, and after-sales support, providing whole-process accompaniment
