The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 25, 1995
Filed:
Jun. 02, 1994
Robert W Connors, Western Springs, IL (US);
Frederick W Giacobbe, Naperville, IL (US);
Benjamin J Jurcik, Jr, Lisle, IL (US);
Frederic Rotman, Paris, FR;
Kevin P McKean, Naperville, IL (US);
L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des, , US;
American Air Liquide, Inc., Walnut Creek, CA (US);
Air Liquide America Corp., Walnut Creek, CA (US);
Abstract
A circuit board is wave soldered as it is carried by a conveyor through a solder wave established in a solder reservoir. Disposed on both sides of the solder wave are gas plenums which discharge shield gas. Each gas plenum includes a top wall, a side wall, and a bottom wall. The side wall is spaced horizontally from the wave, and the bottom wall is submerged within the solder. The side and (optionally) top walls include orifices for directing shield gas (i) at high velocity toward the solder wave to protect the solder wave with an atmosphere of shield gas, and (ii) upwardly toward an underside of the circuit board to strip entrained air therefrom. Instead of being submerged within the solder, the bottom wall could be spaced above the solder and provided with orifices to emit shield gas downwardly between the plenum and solder reservoir to create an inert atmosphere above the solder. Dividers disposed within the plenum form sub-chambers communicating with orifices in respective walls of the plenum so that different gas velocities can be entitled from the orifices. The gas plenums can be rotatably adjustable and further adjustable either vertically or horizontally.