In a mature marketplace it is extremely rewarding when a completely new product comes along, especially when it is a revolutionary answer to an age old issue. With their reflow oven series, North American equipment supplier R&D Technical Services has led the way in vapor phase technology for well over a decade. They offer everything from small table top batch type systems to high volume in-line systems, with worldwide distribution and support. Here we talk to R&D Technical Service’s Vice President, Ray Willett about the introduction of the world’s very first vapor phase system for rework.
We are reading that vapor phase technology is growing significantly in importance, can you explain this resurgence?
As an industry it seems we have been talking about lead-free and working to incorporate it into our processes for an age, but the issues of manufacturing at the higher temperatures required by this process continue to hamper efforts and raise quality issues. Arguably, there is never a good time to have your quality in question, but especially not in this fiercely competitive global marketplace and current economic climate. EMS and OEM businesses alike are struggling because of the excessive temperatures now demanded by lead-free. Issues such as non-uniformity, excessive heat to the product and difficult heat transfer to the board are just some of the concerns that are exacerbating the problem with lead-free. What vapor phase offers is a consistent, uniform and reliable heat transfer. R&D has been able to demonstrate these advantages through our high quality vapor phase oven series over many years. As a result of this technology, our highly-effective products and ongoing sales efforts, our systems are incorporated into manufacturing facilities the world over.
Did this realisation lead to the development of the technology for the rework process?
It became very apparent that vapor phase could offer the solution for reworking lead-free boards. Every week we were visiting EMS businesses that were all looking for concrete answers to the rework process. Issues such as reliability, uniformity, more difficult board architecture and increasingly critical components were coming up time and time again. These are established companies who have worked hard to drive quality into their processes. Armed with this information, we set about developing a rework system which would incorporate our vapor phase technology. Bear in mind, however, this was not a company embarking on a completely new product, but a culmination of 40 years of combined expertise in the field, which we used to create the vapor phase rework system. This is an exciting new phase in the company’s history and it has been extremely rewarding to see how well it has been received. The system was first launched at the APEX show in Las Vegas in 2008 and catapulted the business towards our best ever year in 2008.
What applications is the V-Works 24 Vapor Rework Station currently being used in?
We have had enormous success with companies using the large and more difficult components such as SMT connectors and BGAs, for large back panels and motherboards. The performance of the system has exceeded both ours and our customer’s expectations and we are being told that this is the critical solution they have been looking for. Through customer feedback we have continued to develop the system and have now set our sights on the mainstream rework market. We are currently developing strong partnerships with representatives here in North America and with distribution partner’s world-wide to educate them on the benefits of the vapor phase technology for mainstream rework.
You mentioned education, have you had any issues educating the market on vapor phase, over more traditional methods?
I guess it depends on what you call traditional. Vapor phase has been an established technology for over three decades, so it certainly offers a tried and tested solution. Hot air and Infra Red (IR) rework systems, for example, have a tendency to bring their own problems such as overheating, shadowing, deflection and reflection to rework. These are certainly not issues you will experience using the new V-Works 24 Vapor Rework Station. The actual implementation of the equipment is very simple and once you have been able to demonstrate the superior performance and obvious benefits, it sells itself. We have always taken enormous pride in the service and support we offer our customers, and our philosophy has always been high quality designs followed by excellent service and support. We don’t believe our job is to sell a product to the manufacturer, nor to make their process fit our system. We believe it is our job to look in detail at the process and the problems of a customer and then to assess what we can offer in the form of solutions. A solution that will also boost performance and therefore productivity, ensure quality and in turn secure a return on their investment – plain and simple. That is why it is so satisfying to be able to offer this new system and is one of the reasons why our partners around the globe are very excited. In terms of educating customers, our reps and distribution network, we believe in ongoing training. This has and always will be an essential and ongoing part of our business.
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