Radiant curtain heating assembly for wave soldering machine
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorJonathan M. Dautenhahn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wave soldering machine includes a housing, a conveyor that is movable with respect to the housing, a preheat module positioned along the conveyor, and a curtain module positioned at an entrance of the housing, the curtain module including at least one curtain and a heating element. A curtain module for a wave soldering machine or a reflow oven includes at least one curtain and a heating element. A method of containing an inert gas around a conveyor in a tunnel of a wave soldering machine or a reflow oven. In some embodiments, the method includes providing a curtain module at an end of the tunnel, the curtain module including at least one curtain and at least one heating element; and controlling a temperature of the heating element.
Claims24
A wave soldering machine comprising:
- a housing including a tunnel;
- a conveyor extending through the tunnel, the conveyor being configured to move workpieces through the tunnel;
- a preheat module positioned along the tunnel;
- a curtain module positioned at an entrance of the tunnel, the curtain module including
- an upper curtain module subassembly positioned above the conveyor, the upper curtain module subassembly including at least one first curtain and a first heating element, and
- a lower curtain module subassembly positioned below the conveyor, the lower curtain module subassembly including at least one second curtain and a second heating element;
- and
- a controller configured to control a first temperature of the first heating element and control a second temperature of the second heating element,
- wherein the first temperature and the second temperature are not equal.
A curtain module for a wave soldering machine or a reflow oven, the curtain module comprising:
- an upper curtain module subassembly positioned above a conveyor, the upper curtain module subassembly including at least one first curtain and a first heating element;
- and
- a lower curtain module subassembly positioned below the conveyor, the lower curtain module subassembly including at least one second curtain and a second heating element,
- wherein the first heating element of the upper curtain module subassembly is configured to be controlled by a controller to achieve a first temperature and the second heating element of the lower curtain module subassembly is configured to be controlled by the controller to achieve a second temperature, and
- wherein the first temperature and the second temperature are not equal.
A method of containing an inert gas around a conveyor in a tunnel of a wave soldering machine or a reflow oven, the method comprising:
- providing a curtain module at an end of the tunnel, the curtain module including at least one curtain and at least one heating element;
- and
- controlling a temperature of the at least one heating element,
- wherein the curtain module includes
- an upper curtain module subassembly positioned in the tunnel above the conveyor and including a first heating element of the at least one heating element, and
- a lower curtain module subassembly positioned in the tunnel below the conveyor and including a second heating element of the at least one heating element,
- wherein controlling the temperature of the heating element includes controlling a first temperature of the first heating element and controlling a second temperature of the second heating element, and
- wherein the first temperature and the second temperature are not equal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.