Pin-in-hole reflow (PIHR), the technique of soldering both SMDs and leaded parts in a single operation, has been confirmed as feasible with thin-metal reflector shields, which simply drop over temperature-sensitive components to protect them from thermal damage. The Tecan reflector shield is custom built to fit over parts such as connectors, crystal oscillators and switches. Typically, these components are those which were not originally designed to cope with reflow temperatures. Until now, they have presented problems for board assemblers because they have to be hand or wave-soldered in a second operation. In the reflow oven the shield reflects heat energy, thereby preventing damage to the component, while simultaneously allowing conducted heat from the bottom of the PCB to reflow the solder paste, ensuring a good joint every time. The shields can allow fully populated mixed-component boards to be reflowed in a single opera-tion.
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