Ersa Best Practice: Prodrive Technologies
HOTFLOW THREE: A new era in reflow soldering
Prodrive Technologies is one of the fastest growing technology companies in Europe. The Dutch electronics and mechatronics company, with additional subsidiaries and production sites in the U.S. and China, manufactures a wide range of high-tech products in the fields of electronics, software and mechanics for customers in a wide variety of markets. At Prodrive Technologies, all signs point to growth – to achieve set goals, the company is expanding its production capacity with an Ersa HOTFLOW THREE reflow soldering system.
High throughput and economic efficiency characterize successful SMD production. However, ease of maintenance and sustainability are also central to the production concept of Prodrive Technologies. With the Ersa HOTFLOW THREE, the company is investing in a convection reflow system that combines all these requirements. The proven technology of the HOTFLOW series has been further developed to make the reflow soldering process even more sustainable with the HOTFLOW THREE. In comparison, nitrogen consumption can be reduced by up to 25% and power consumption by up to 10%. At 59 dB, the HOTFLOW THREE also operates at a low noise level – important, especially when the system runs six days a week in multi-shift operation, as is the case at Prodrive.
Low maintenance thanks to triple cleaning system
Within an SMT line, the reflow soldering system has the highest maintenance requirements, which is why ease of maintenance and low downtime are essential. Contamination (so-called condensate) caused by outgassing of PCBs, components or flux must be removed regularly to ensure consistent quality of the assemblies. The HOTFLOW THREE was developed specifically to meet these requirements. The result is a cleaning system consisting of three units: SMART ELEMENTS® granulate filter, SMART PYROLYSIS CLEANER, SMART CONDENSATION UNIT.
The SMART ELEMENTS® filter and the SMART PYROLYSIS CLEANER already eliminate a large proportion of the dirt particles. In the condensate separation unit (SMART CONDENSATION UNIT), significantly less condensate arrives than in other common systems. This leads directly to an increase in productivity and longer operating times, as maintenance is required much less frequently. The individual components are quickly and easily accessible so that the line can resume production as quickly as possible. The low condensate formation also has a positive effect on the quality of the assembly – the contamination caused by outgassing of components, PCB or flux during cooling on the assembly is also minimized.
Unique sellin point SCPU®
Stable and homogeneous temperature profiles with minimum ΔT and maximum machine availability are essential requirements for a modern reflow soldering system. Therefore, the development of the HOTFLOW THREE focused on process gas cleaning and energy transfer performance. The interaction of the factors gas flow, energy absorption and energy transfer to the product are essential for a perfect temperature profile. The HOTFLOW THREE uses convection as the heating technology. The SMART CONVECTION POWER UNIT® (SCPU®) motor and control unit, developed exclusively for the latest Ersa reflow soldering system, ensures an optimized soldering profile and increased process reliability, because thanks to the new geometry of the fan wheels used, an optimum flow is created in the convection system of the individual heating zones.
Unique selling point SCPU®
Homogeneous heat distribution
over entire process zone
Thanks to the interaction with the new motor control and the special design of the nozzle plate, the HOTFLOW THREE achieves homogeneous heat distribution across the entire process zone. The zones are individually controllable, which allows a perfect adaptation of the temperature profile to the requirements of materials, components and solder paste. At the same time, the SCPU® only consumes the power actually required, thus making optimum use of the energy employed. Even with complex, densely populated PCBs with a wide range of component sizes, the system ensures uniform energy transfer with a stable temperature profile and minimal temperature difference across the entire width.
The HOTFLOW THREE is aimed at all electronics manufacturers who want to achieve the highest production quality and economic efficiency. The maintenance-friendly cleaning systems ensure high availability!