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The RTS-1000T is a low-cost automated system, designed to
provide a high quality solder finish on component leads. The system
is suited for processing a wide range of components such as LED,
TO, SIP, and power devices.
Hands-free
operation is achieved through the use of a rotary indexing conveyor,
with four arms, each of which is equipped with a custom gripper.
The precise vertical motions of the indexing conveyor insure uniform
solder coating of all devices.
Devices are
fed into the load station via an input slide, which can be equipped
with semi- or fully automated handling equipment, or interfaced
directly with upstream operations. The components may be handled
in strip form, or singulated. For strip operation, an optional
excise module can also be incorporated, to shear off the tie bar
at the start of the process. Other handling options to adapt the
input and output to customer requirements are available on request.
Typical throughput, based on a 5 second process cycle time, and
50 components per gripper, is 36,000 UPH. A 6 second cycle time
will give 30,000 UPH. For increased throughput, optional tooling
and handling is available to accommodate a double row of components
in each gripper, thereby doubling the output.
The system
may be specified to run lead-free alloys with little or no equipment
modification. To convert existing machines to lead-free requires
only a change in solder module to avoid contamination.
In the standard
configuration the process is as follows:
- Feed components
to load station.
- Index to
station #2; apply flux.
- Index to
station #3; solder dip.
- Index to
station #4; unload.
- Index to
station #1; load and re-start cycle.
STANDARD
FEATURES:
Main Frame
/ Enclosure: The standard frame and enclosure houses the rotary
component conveyor, the wave fluxing module, the wave soldering
module, and load / unload stations in a robust, ergonomic package.
It is completely enclosed, with glass windows or glass panels
on all sides of the system, so the process may be visually monitored
and easily accessed. The standard system has a footprint of only
41" x 41" (1041 x 1041 mm), with height of 53.5" (1359 mm), so
the floor space requirements are kept to a minimum.
The system
also has glass panels on top, giving good light and visibility
in the process area. Stainless steel spill trays facilitate clean-up
and maintenance. Exhaust stacks, located on the top of the enclosure,
ensure that all fumes are extracted from the process area.
Operator controls
are conveniently located adjacent to the process modules so they
can be viewed while adjustments to the controls are being made.
The controls include: emergency stop; alarm status indicators;
alarm reset; utility controls and indicators; and process controls
and indicators.
Door and window
interlocks prevent operators from accessing the interior of the
system during processing. The standard door interlock package
provides interlocks on all doors covering electrical power cabinets.
The standard window interlock package provides interlocks on all
windows covering the process chamber.
Rotary
Index Conveyor: The rotary conveyor system has four arms,
each equipped with a pneumatically actuated vertical shuttle tool
fixture. Optional or custom pneumatically actuated gripper tools
pick up the components and carry them through all process steps.
The conveyor uses a pneumatic indexing table to index through
90o for each cycle. At each index, the conveyor goes through a
pneumatically actuated vertical motion, with 3" stroke, taking
components through the programmable process cycle at each of the
four stations. Typical cycle time for each index is approximately
5 seconds. Cycle times will vary depending on flux and solder
dwell times required by the process.
Gripper tools
are equipped with titanium gripper bars, to provide maximum corrosion
resistance and prevent solder adhesion. The gripper tooling normally
has one rigid reference face, and one compliant face, with the
addition of friction surface coating if necessary. This combination
provides accurate location of the components and holds them securely
during processing. Maximum gripper tool length is 10" (254 mm).
The number of components that the tool will hold depends on the
size of the device, but typically it will hold 50 of a TO-92 type
device. Custom tooling for specialized applications is available
on request.
Throughput
will depend on the size of the device, hence the number of parts
in the gripper, and also on the process dwell time requirements.
Typical cycle time of 5 seconds, and 50 parts per gripper, will
give thoughput of 36,000 UPH. ·
Load /
Unload Stations: In the standard configuration, the components
are fed into the load station via a single line input transfer
mechanism. This can be configured with inclined input, to accept
gravity fed singulated parts, or with horizontal input to accept
parts in strip or singulated form. The input mechanism can be
interfaced with upstream equipment, or with automatic or semi-automatic
handling equipment (refer to Handling Options). Parts are held
in the load station in the correct orientation for pick up by
the gripper tool. The load station can include an optional tie
bar shear, to remove the tie bar (bottom rail) from parts fed
in strip format.
At the standard
unload station, the processed parts are released into a stainless
steel receiving basket.
Wave Fluxing
Module: The fluxing module has a wave flux pot constructed
of PVC. The height of the flux wave is adjusted by a thumb wheel
potentiometer, which controls a variable-speed D.C. motor pump.
Air knives are used to remove excess flux, thereby eliminating
solder splash and solder balls during the soldering process. A
drain is provided, as is overflow protection. This allows for
speedy clean-up at the end of the work schedule, or rapid changeover
if more than one type of flux is being used. This module can accommodate
all standard flux types.
Solder
Module: The solder module has a stainless steel solder pot.
The solder pot rolls in and out by means of a lead screw to facilitate
position adjustment and access for maintenance. A positive stop
ensures repeatability when returning to the operating position.
The pot has a thermally protected D.C. motor driven pump, which
provides precise wave height control in the solder nozzle, adjustable
via thumbwheel potentiometer. Standard or optional custom designed
wave nozzles are available.
The module
is equipped with a digital temperature controller with high and
low temperature alarms (audible and visual). A low solder level
alarm is also standard. The system uses two non-contact heaters,
which uniformly heat the walls of the pot, thereby minimizing
the danger of an eruption during the warm-up phase. Corfin's dual
chamber pot is designed to draw solder from the base of the pot,
eliminating dross recirculation through the wave.
PROCESS
MODULE OPTIONS: ·
Auto Flux
Feed / Level Control: A flux reservoir bottle is housed in
the base of the machine, with a pump that feeds the fresh flux
to the main fluxer tank. A level sensor in the tank provides the
signal to the pump, ensuring that the flux is maintained at the
correct operating level. The bottle is easily accessed through
the doors in the base for quick and clean changeover. ·
Flux Heater
System: A Teflon sheathed immersion heater in the fluxer tank
allows the flux to be heated to increase its chemical activity.
The heater is controlled by a digital temperature controller with
a water-jacketed thermocouple located in the flux. The flux tank
is fabricated in CPVC when equipped with the heater option. ·
Flux Density
Controller: The flux density control system automatically
adds the necessary amount of flux or thinner to maintain the specific
gravity setpoint, as well as the correct liquid level in the flux
tank. The fresh flux and thinner containers are housed in the
base of the machine, with pumps that feed flux or thinner to the
main fluxer tank, as directed by the flux density controller.
The FDC unit also has a built-in temperature sensor, with a compensation
feature to ensure correct density at different operating temperatures.
The flux density
controller incorporates the features of the Auto Flux Feed / Level
Control option.
Solder
Module Inerting System: The solder pot may be equipped with
an inert gas enclosure around the solder wave, with stainless
steel gas diffusers that provide a non-turbulent protective gas
cover over the wave. The controlled atmosphere reduces dross formation
on the solder wave, promotes wetting and ensures uniform solder
coverage of the component leads.
The process
of solder coating component leads is greatly enhanced by the inerting
process, with the virtual elimination of icicles and flags. A
stainless steel shroud that covers the rear of the solder pot,
including the pump area, is injected with inert gas to reduce
the formation of dross and black powder from the pump shaft. Consumption
of solder and maintenance times are greatly reduced by the addition
of the inerting option.
High Temperature
Solder Treatment: For certain alloys and processes, higher
than normal operating temperatures are required. A specially treated
stainless steel solder pot, pump and nozzle assembly are available
for operating temperatures in excess of 650°F (343°C).
This option is also required if lead-free alloys are used in the
process.
HANDLING
OPTIONS:
Single
Gripper Titanium Tooling: Each of the four tools has a pneumatic
actuator, with a single set of titanium gripper bars. Titanium
fingers attached to the bars can be customized depending on the
type of component being processed. The gripper tools attach to
the four vertical shuttles mounted on the rotary conveyor.
For non-standard
applications, special tooling can be quoted on request.
Dual Gripper
Titanium Tooling: For increased throughput, each tool is equipped
with a dual set of gripper bars, allowing two rows of components
to be processed simultaneously.
Strip Feeder
Module: This feeder automatically feeds strips one by one
from a loading buffer into the load station via a horizontal in-line
input track. The feeder is synchronized with the rotary conveyor,
to automatically present a strip of components at each index cycle.
The strip feeder is available in single format, to operate with
single gripper tooling; or in dual format, when the machine is
equipped with the dual gripper tooling.
Vibratory
Input Track: For direct in-line feed of singulated components
into the load station, a vibratory input track is available. The
input track can be interfaced with customer's upstream production
equipment, or fitted with automatic or semi-automatic handlers
to feed components from tubes or trays.
Vibratory
Output Track: After processing, instead of releasing singulated
components into the bulk basket, the components are released onto
a vibratory track that feeds them in-line to the downstream process,
or into tube or tray handling equipment.
Water Slide
Output: The water slide is an angled PVC half-pipe, into which
the components are dropped at the unload station. Water is fed
into the top of the slide via a flow control valve and carries
the components to the output end. The components can be unloaded
into mesh baskets, or directly into a downstream cleaning system.
Semi-Automatic
Tube Handler - Input; 2 Position Star Index: This option provides
semi-automatic feeding from tubes into the input slide to the
load station (or into the optional Vibratory Input Track). The
operator places two full tubes into the star-index loader. The
loader is then moved in line with the input slide to the load
station and the tube empties. When the first tube is empty the
operator manually moves the star indexer to position 2, and while
this tube empties replaces the first tube with a full one. This
operation is repeated as each tube empties.
Semi-Automatic
Tube Handler - Output; 2 Position Shuttle: If the Vibratory
Output Track option is selected, this output shuttle may be selected
to provide semi-automatic offloading of the components back into
tubes. When one tube is filled, the operator switches the shuttle
to an empty tube. While the second tube is filling, the first
is removed and replaced with an empty tube, and the process repeated.
Additional
Insert Sets: The star index loader and unload shuttle come
equipped with a set of inserts (4), dedicated to a tube/component
type. To change over to a different tube/component type requires
only changing the inserts, supplied as a set of four.
Standard
Automatic Load End Tube Handler: The standard automatic load
end tube handler has a vertical tube stack; accommodates approximately
40 tubes, depending on tube dimensions. The tubes are automatically
brought in line with an input slide and the components are pushed
out by pneumatic actuator for pick up by the main rotary conveyor.
The empty tube is then ejected to an output bin and a full unit
brought into position. Operation is fully automatic, with continuous
feed operation possible as long as tube stack is kept loaded.
Check with
Corfin to make sure your tubes and components are compatible with
the handler. Special modifications may be quoted if required.
Tie Bar
Shear: Components that are fed into the load station in strip
form may have the tie bar (bottom rail) removed prior to processing.
The optional tie bar shear cuts off the tie bar while the strip
is in the load station, prior to the components being removed
in the gripper tooling. Removing the tie bar allows the ends of
the leads to be soldered, avoiding exposing any bare lead metal,
and greatly reducing the consumption of solder.
The tie bar
shear is available in single format, to operate with single gripper
tooling; or in dual format, when the machine is equipped with
the dual gripper tooling.
SAFETY
FEATURES:
Audio and
visual alarms are standard on the system to monitor the levels
and temperature in each module and report any fault conditions.
The operator may stop the audible alarm using the alarm reset
button, however the visual alarm will continue until the fault
condition is corrected.
If the conveyor
is stopped for any reason while processing components, the entire
conveyor assembly automatically lifts clear of the process modules,
eliminating the potential for thermal or chemical damage to any
components that are in process.
An exhaust
system with interlock ensures that all process fumes are evacuated
from the machine.
Door and window
interlocks protect the operator from electrical hazards and from
moving parts in the process chamber.
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