Liquid purification or separation – With heater or heat exchanger – With mechanical agitator or movable separator
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-22
2001-04-10
Simmons, David A. (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
With heater or heat exchanger
With mechanical agitator or movable separator
C134S093000, C228S056200
Reexamination Certificate
active
06214218
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automated soldering apparatus and a solder recovering apparatus for use in the printed wiring board and the like. In particular, it relates to a soldering apparatus and a solder recovering apparatus which separate solder oxides with solder adhered thereto into solder and solder oxides so as to recover them.
The present invention also relates to a method of separating solder oxides with solder adhered thereto into solder and solder oxides and a method of separating solder oxides in contact with molten solder into solder and solder oxides. The present invention also relates to a method of removing solder oxides from solder oxides floating on molten solder.
The present invention also relates to a separating agent which can separate solder oxides from solder oxides with solder adhered thereto or solder oxides in contact with molten solder. The present invention further relates to a vessel for receiving solder oxides with solder adhered thereto or solder oxides in contact with molten solder.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A large amount of solder oxides are formed when electronic parts are soldered on the printed wiring board using a dip-type soldering apparatus or a flow-type soldering apparatus. Moreover, when the solder oxides are scooped up from molten solder or drained from a solder bath to solidify, a large amount of solder is observed to be adhered to the solder oxides.
The solder oxides with solder adhered thereto are sold to the regenerators at a low price. In order to prevent oxidation of solder, an anti-oxidizing agent such as heat-resistant mineral oil has been added to the surface of molten solder, or a solder bath and its surroundings have been enclosed with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas so that the oxygen concentration is reduced to minimize oxidation of solder.
On the other hand, a powdery product obtained by adding a potassium salt to ammonium borohydrochloride is commercially available as a separating/reducing agent for solder oxides, which can separate solder from solder oxides with solder adhered thereto to remove only solder oxides (tradename/KLEENOX OR-904P/sold by ELECTROVERT).
In addition, for example, JP-A-5-63349 and the like proposed a wave solder bath equipped with a means for flowing solder oxides from the solder bath together with a heat-resistant fat and oil.
However, the previous selling of the solder oxides to the regenerators has a great loss of solder because a large amount of expensive solder is adhered to solder oxides.
The addition of the anti-oxidizing agent to the surface of molten solder makes the solder bath stickily smeary with the anti-oxidizing oil and the like, which leads to not only troublesome cleaning but also adherence to the printed wiring board and the like.
The solder bath disclosed in JP-A-5-63349 also has a similar problem in that the heat-resistant fat and oil is accumulated in a solder reservoir, or a duct for solder is clogged with the fat and oil.
The use of the inert gas results in a higher cost and requires larger and more complicated facilities.
The powdery separating agent containing ammonium borohydrochloride as a main component is expensive at about 6,000 yen/450 g and, upon handling, requires safety management such as paying attention so as not to make the agent touch the skin, wearing eyeglasses for protecting eyes, and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the-present invention is to provide a soldering apparatus and a solder recovering apparatus which can prevent a soldering apparatus from being smeared with an anti-oxidizing agent such as a heat-resistant fat and oil, which is safe and non-polluting, and which can easily remove solder oxides floating on molten solder.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for removing solder oxides which can prevent a soldering apparatus from being smeared with an anti-oxidizing agent such as a heat-resistant fat and oil, which is safe and non-polluting, and which can easily remove solder oxides floating on molten solder.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a separating agent which can easily separate and remove only solder oxides when solder oxides with solder adhered thereto are immersed into molten solder, and a solder recovering apparatus such the separating agent.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a separating agent which can easily separate solder oxides from solder oxides with solder adhered thereto or from solder oxides in contact with molten solder.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a vessel for receiving solder oxides with solder adhered thereto or solder oxides in contact with molten solder.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present invention features a soldering apparatus comprising a solder wave shape forming means for melting solder and forming a solder wave shape, and a separating agent dusting means for dusting solder oxide with a separating agent for separating solder and solder oxides. The separating agent is a vegetable member, and more particularly, any one selected from the group consisting of offal, cereal grain or flour, bean flour, seed grain or flour, soybean-cake flour and peanut hull flour, or a combination thereof.
The present invention features the aforementioned soldering apparatus, wherein the vegetable separating agent for separating solder and solder oxides is any one selected from the group consisting of offal (such as rice bran, bran, wheat bran, mixed barley bran, naked barley bran, mixed naked barley bran and the like), cereal grain or flour (such as foxtail, Deccan grass, millet and rice), bean flour (such as soybean, azuki bean, peanut, coconut and the like), and seed grain or flour (such as sesame, sunflower, palm, rapeseed, cotton and the like), or a combination thereof.
For example, the vegetable separating agent may a separating agent obtained by mixing rice bran and sesame flour in a ratio by weight ranging between 100:20 and 100:5. By mixing sesame flour into offal, the duration of separating action is prolonged.
Of course, other combinations and a mixture of two or more separating agents may be arbitrarily used.
In addition, the present invention features a method of separating solder oxides from molten solder, which comprises a step of scooping up solder oxides floating on molten solder (at around 280-290° C.) into a vessel, a step of dusting the solder oxides with any one of the above separating agents (such as rice bran) or a combination thereof, a step of pulling out the vessel from a solder bath to separate solder and solder oxides, and a step of discharging separated solder oxides (oxidized draff).
In addition, the present inventions features another method of separating solder oxides, which comprises a step of dusting solder oxides floating on molten solder with any one of the above separating agents (such as foxtail grain) or a combination thereof, a step of scooping up solder oxides floating on molten solder into a vessel, a step of pulling out said vessel from a solder bath to separate solder and solder oxides, and a step of discharging separated solder oxides.
In addition, the present invention features a vessel (which is used in the aforementioned soldering apparatus or method) for scooping up solder oxides floating on molten solder. The vessel comprises a netted basket having a mesh opening (through-hole) area of around 1-10 mm
2
, desirably around 1-2.25 mm
2
, or a press-worked punching metal. The metal may have a plurality of openings on an underside and on each sidewall, and each of openings has an opening area of around 1-2.25 mm
2
.
A range setting of the opening area of 1-10 mm
2
in the netted basket or the punching metal was determined by an experiment such that solder separated from solder oxides is smoothly returned to a molten solder bath and oxidized draff (solder oxides) remains within the vessel. The constituent members of the netted basket or the punching metal is made of a material such as stainless steel and the like, to which no
Kawashima Yasuji
Shimizu Kaoru
Lawrence Frank M.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Simmons David A.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
LandOfFree
Soldering apparatus and agent for separating solder and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Soldering apparatus and agent for separating solder and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Soldering apparatus and agent for separating solder and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2551698