Solderstar to unveil new soldering technologies at productronica 2023

At the forefront of Solderstar's showcase is the Reflow Shuttle, an innovative solution designed to transform reflow process verification. The Reflow Shuttle represents a leap forward in the electronics industry, offering precise measurement of critical reflow parameters and bringing unprecedented accuracy and insight into the soldering process.

The Reflow Shuttle has a comprehensive set of features to address the complexities of modern reflow environments. It utilises an array of independent sensors to measure top and bottom temperature profiles, providing a comprehensive view of the reflow oven's performance. This detailed data allows engineers to fine-tune and optimise soldering processes with unparalleled precision.

In addition to temperature profile verification, the Reflow Shuttle assesses zone heater uniformity, ensuring that heat is evenly distributed across the soldering environment, reducing the risk of defects, and improving product quality. Understanding the impact of vibration is crucial in soldering processes, and the Reflow Shuttle captures process vibration in X, Y, and Z axes, allowing engineers to analyse and mitigate the effects of machine vibrations on product quality.

Furthermore, the Reflow Shuttle provides insights into conveyor performance by measuring line speed, helping manufacturers maintain consistent production rates and product quality. For processes that involve vacuum stages, the Reflow Shuttle offers an optional measurement module to verify vacuum levels down to 10 mbar. It automatically calculates hold time below the desired vacuum level and monitors pull-down and release rates, ensuring precise control over the soldering environment.

Mark Stansfield, CEO at Solderstar, said: "In today's intricate reflow environments, conventional temperature-based measurements are inadequate. The Reflow Shuttle provides an all-encompassing solution, offering temperature data and vital insights into heater uniformity, vibration, line speed, and vacuum levels. This gives engineers comprehensive insights into their soldering processes, enhancing product quality and efficiency.

“We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to our stand at productronica, where we will showcase our latest cutting-edge technologies and introduce an exciting new product that promises to make a significant impact.”

The Reflow Shuttle is engineered for ease of use, enabling machine operators to collect data independently and reducing dependence on specialised engineering personnel. Seamless integration with Solderstar's Shuttle Central software streamlines data collection and analysis, optimising efficiency.

Also taking centre stage on the stand is Solderstar's zero set-up SLX thermal profiler. SLX is an accurate, robust, ultra-compact, battery-powered datalogger used for measuring and recording process parameters from any soldering process. The SLX unit can be docked onto any SMARTLink reflow heatshield or other process accessory, and the system will auto-configure itself for data capture.

Visitors to productronica, taking place from 14-17 November, Munich, Germany, are invited to explore these solutions at Solderstar's Stand A4.246/4. Solderstar's team of experts will be on hand to provide detailed insights, live demonstrations, and answers to technical enquiries.