Reflow oven control software

29 January 2014 Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services

RO-CONTROL and RO-SOFT from Essemtec are state-of-the-art software packages for simulation, control and documentation of reflow and curing ovens and processes. Operators, process engineers and quality managers can benefit from the advanced functionality of the new version 7.

Beginning January 2013, all new Essemtec reflow ovens from the RO300 and RO400 series are delivered with RO-CONTROL 7 and RO-SOFT 7. Both software packages require Windows 7 and can be upgraded from older versions.

RO-CONTROL 7 controls and regulates oven parameters such as zone temperatures, feed rate and conveyor width. Depending on the oven model, the software can automatically setup an oven and start production when ready. Therefore, a product changeover is a quick and secure task.

Thanks to the new graphical interface, the operation of the reflow oven has become much easier and safer. Status messages are now displayed graphically, and both incoming and outgoing boards are monitored. The auto-save feature regularly snapshots temperature and speed values in a CSV type file.

All operator actions are logged and software modules can be released to specific individuals. For example, a specialist with appropriate authorisation may create or modify soldering programs, add solder paste data, or change SMEMA interface settings.

Process engineers will appreciate the new simulation tool for temperature profiles. Based on temperature settings, product data and throughput expectations, RO-CONTROL can simulate the expected temperature profile. The simulated profile can be graphically compared to measured values and solder paste specifications.

The temperature profile simulation tool is based on long-time experience and delivers very realistic results. In flexible manufacturing, where the series are typically small and material for testing is rare, the profile simulator is the best tool to evaluate the right settings quickly.

RO-CONTROL 7 and RO-SOFT 7 can measure real temperature profiles directly on the PCB using thermocouples. The measurements can be used for documentation or to verify simulations. Multiple measurements can be overlaid to detect deviations. All data can be exported as CSV and graphics.

RO-CONTROL 7 is available as an option for RO300FC and RO400FC reflow ovens from Essemtec. The measurement module RO-SOFT 7 is part of RO-CONTROL 7 but is also available as standalone software. Additionally, there is a version of RO-SOFT for the semiautomatic RO-06 batch reflow oven.

For more information visit www.essemtec.com

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