In a reflow soldering system, a large part of energy is consumed by the fans. In order to achieve significant savings in SMT soldering systems, the fan motors can be controlled and driven individually by frequency converters. With the new frequency converter solution a continuous adjustment of the motor control is possible. Therefore individual zones can be perfectly controlled, which can lead to huge energy savings. A reduction in frequency by 5 Hz achieve up to 20 % lower power consumption of the fan motor. Since each fan unit is controlled by one frequency converter, the customer benefits from energy savings as well as from process individuality.
The new frequency converters are designed for continuous operation. Thus 10 years warranty remains, which are granted on fan motors by SMT. To avoid downtime on the systems and to support the longevity of the fans, fan motors and frequency converters are protected by fuses against short circuit. Detailed diagnostic information of the activity of the frequency converter and the corresponding fan motors are communicated via a bus system to the control system, thus achieves high process monitoring. The temperature of the motor and the fan speed can be deviated by the frequency converter. Thus a constant flow of process gas and a reliable heat transfer on the PCB level are easy to control.
In the SMT reflow soldering systems the fan motors and frequency converters are mounted separately from each other. Fans are mounted above respectively below the process areas (top or bottom side heating) and frequency converters are in the lower part back of the system – away from the high heat sources. Easy accessibility of the frequency converter is guaranteed at all times thanks to compact mounting on the switchboard.
