3D thermal profiling of an experimental Vapour Phase Soldering Station

Three-dimensional (3D) thermal profiling setup was developed for an experimental Vapour Phase Soldering (VPS) station to identify vapour and heat propagation. The VPS process was inspected during the heating up period, considering vapour-mist blanket [1] generation. The effective space used for soldering inside the soldering chamber (above the level of Galden liquid) was profiled using a grid of thermocouples. The grid was constructed on a planar two-dimensional (2D) frame with Type K thermocouples. Instead of a 3D construction planar and symmetric 2D geometry was used to maintain low additional thermal capacitances of the frame. This frame fixed the thermocouples inside the chamber. The planar grid was moved to specific vertical coordinates before each measurement. Parameters of the station (initial liquid temperature, Galden type, Galden volume/mass, heating power) were controlled to achieve uniform processes for each vertical height setting of the 2D plane. Results of 2D profiling at specific heights were then superposed to receive data for a 3D temperature map at a given time point. Additional data was also gathered to expand knowledge of thermal properties inside the experimental station. Data was gathered with ten channel batched data-acquisition. Thermal maps were displayed using Origin software.