Zephyrtronics Equipment is Designed, Engineered & MADE IN THE U.S.A.
Hundreds of
ZT-1 AirBaths™ Utilized to Make the ISS.
PCB Rework Pre-heaters Bottom-Side Preheating Pre-heat for Heavy Ground Planes Lead-Free Preheat Rework
We Were First & No One Still Knows More About Preheating PCB's Than Zephyrtronics!
ZT-1-BGS BIG-GRID™ DIGITAL PRE-HEATER AIRBATHEffective, Bottom-Side Convection Pre-Heating for PCB, Thru Hole, SMD, SMT, QFN & BGA Rework & Repair! 26 Years!
Big 16 Square Inches Preheating Grid (110 Sq. cm) With 1,500 Watt Power, 50 CFM Air Supply (1,415 Liters/Minute)
Zephyrtronics' AirBath “bathes the circuit board in warm air to reduce thermal stresses
to the board and its components.”-- NASA Report, January 9, 2004
Our
ZT-1-BGS-DPU BigGrid™
AirBath
features a big
16-square inch (110 sq.
cm) preheating grid with 1,500 watts of power, plus 50 CFM
(1,415 liters per minute) of air supply for preheating and cooling. Introduced in 1998, this is
the second largest AirBath™ from the recognized pioneer and
world leader in PCB preheating technology.
This is the
same BigGrid™
AirBath
used by NASA and JPL for
preheating PCB's for the two Mars Rovers that were so
successful on the Red Planet! And in our ever so famous
trademark pyramidal design.
Manufactured in Los Angeles: The BigGrid™ is
100% fabricated
and assembled in our state-of-art factory in
California. It has a full, one-year limited warranty and is ideal for large PCB's or with high copper content, heat-sinks, large ground
or back planes. It's a workhorse!
The
patent-protected technology of the BigGrid™
AirBath™
is the most effective PCB preheat solution for your needs during
prototyping and/or rework at the bench for thru-hole and surface mount
technology including Ball Grid Arrays.
TM
Selected By Boeing for the
International Space Station Project.
With Our Trademark Pyramidal Design.
Preheat Power:Our
BigGrid™ AirBath
with its powerful 50 CFM (1,415
liters/min)
of air supply and its 4.13" x 3.81" (12.2cm x 9.7cm)
extra-large heating grid delivers its forced-convection
preheating power even to those "boards from hell" -- as many
engineers like to say.
Beware of copycat pre-heaters with less
than 14CFM (396 liters/minute) that crudely attempt to
compensate for their lack of preheat air volume with higher
temp settings.
Remember: the glass transition of a FR-4 PCB is only
170°C. Your PCB's don't
want higher preheat temperatures with very little air
volume, they want higher air volume that is preheated in the
range of 100°-170°C.
Loaded With Features:AirBaths™get into a PCB's nooks and crannies where hot plates
and IR preheaters can't go (see expository videos below).
The AirBaths™ are fabricated from steel, not plastic for
industrial use and long production life. The AirBaths™ are
RoHS Compliant, ESD-safe, exceed U.S. Military Specs, uniquely feature indicator lights (blue
for cooling;
red for preheat. AirBaths™ have self-contained air supply (no compressed air
hookup
requirements)...and
our big LED lighted
digital temperature display for quick "set & read" not
tiny, impossible-to-read, and simply horrible LCD's for
displays!).
Critical Thermal
Ramping: TheBigGrid™is engineered with the
industry standard, built-in temperature ramp of 2° to 4°C
per second preventing thermal shock to sensitive chips,
ceramic caps and glass diodes.
ZT-1-BGS BIG-GRID™ DIGITAL AIRBATH™ PREHEATER
DESCRIPTION
MODEL
BUY NOW
TM
BIG-GRID™
DIGITAL
AIRBATH™
50 CFM Air Power
(1,415 Liter/Min) 1,500 Watt Power
ZT-1-BGS-DPU-120
(120 Volt for the U.S., Canada &
Mexico)
$1,995
ZT-1-BGS-DPU-230
(230 Volt For All
Int'l Customers)
$1,995
TM
BIG-GRID™
ANALOG
AIRBATH™
50 CFM Air
Power
(1,415 Liter/Min) 1,500 Watt Power
ZT-1-BGS-MIL-120
(120 Volt for the U.S., Canada &
Mexico)
$1,595
ZT-1-BGS-MIL-230
(230 Volt For All
Int'l Customers)
$1,595
* We manufacture many other sizes of AirBaths. Note that The BigGrid™
is one of our larger AirBath Preheaters in our extensive AirBath Catalog.
We have an AirBath Preheater tailored to your company's PCB needs.
ABC SERIES OF ADJUStable BOARD CRADLES™
DESCRIPTION
MODEL
BUY NOW
ADJUStable BOARD
CRADLE™
3-RAIL (10” X 18” MAX)
ABC-1
$345
ADJUStable BOARD
CRADLE™
3-RAIL (20” X 18” MAX)
ABC-2
$395
ADJUStable BOARD
CRADLE™
QUATRO (10” X 18” MAX)
ABC-1-Q
$395
ADJUStable BOARD CRADLE™
QUATRO (20” X 18” MAX)
ABC-2-Q
$425
More Details
For
Thru-Hole, SMT & BGA Preheating Tasks: The
BGS Series AirBath Preheating Systems
is ideal for all PCB challenges from low-volume production
runs, prototyping during design or during rework with all
SMD packages such as
BGA, CSP, QFP, QFN,
TSOP, PLCC, SOIC, SOL, LCC, Flip Chip and Glob Top
components. Still, the AirBath
is not limited to only SMD devices: Don't overlook the
superb benefit the
AirBath preheating boost brings to your
tough through-hole (PTH) soldering and de-soldering tasks!
Plus, it easily handles all substrates including FR-4,
polyimide, composites, flex circuits and ceramic boards.
The Many
Benefits of Preheating Your PCB:
The
benefits of preheat
are multiple and compounding. 1.) Preheating or
"soaking" the assembly before reflow activates the flux that
removes oxides and surface films thereby enhancing the
wetting process and solder joint quality. 2.) Preheat
permits lower soldering reflow temperatures. 3.) Preheat
reduces "dwell time" at the final reflow stage. 4.) Preheat
reduces thermal stresses to the PC substrate and components
if localized reflow is made with soldering irons,
de-soldering tools or hot air tools. 5.) Preheat gives a
thermal boost for RoHS lead-free solders without
damaging the work!
Two BigGrid™ Models: Our BigGrid™ AirBath
is available in two models: analog and digital. Both models
feature variable temp selection from ambient up to 205°C.
Both models feature closed-loop feedback temperature sensing
control.
The
ZT-1-BGS-DPU
Digital model incorporates a digital set/read lighted
display that permits single digit/degree incremental
temperature selection in the "set" mode and tracks real time
temp at the air exit point
The
ZT-1-BGS-MIL
Analog model has a dial for temp selection on the front
panel.
The
Best Lead-Free Solution: Lead-free or RoHS
compliant solder alloys all have higher melting
points and this makes preheat more essential to PCB
work. But, don't raise the temperatures higher on your
soldering irons, desoldering tools, hot air nozzles,
thermal tweezers or hot air pencils!
Just briefly preheat the PCB's bottom before reflow
and perform your soldering or
desoldering on the top side at lower
temps.
All Pre-heaters Are Not Created Equal
1. Achieve Superb Thermal Profiles at the Bench with
industry standard 2°-4°C ramping to preheat!
This critical ramp is
"built in" to all AirBaths™ preventing thermal shock to
ceramic capacitors, glass diodes and temp
sensitive chips. Ramping helps prevent "pop-corning" of
moisture within I.C.'s. Preheat allows flux
activation and lower temps on the topside of the PCB
with your soldering tools. Effective preheat prevents
scorched substrates, damaged pads and chips in rework
or prototyping.
2. DeSolder &
Remove SMD's under 150°C (300°F)
with only
AirBath™preheat
and
LowMelt®DeSolder
by the co-metalization process. No nozzles! No
lifted pads! No burned PCB's!
Video: SMD Removal With LowMelt®.
4. Thru-Hole Rework!
Heavy ground planes? High copper content? Big heat sinks? No
problem! Your
AirBath™ makes de-soldering thru-hole chips a
breeze! Place your PCB over the AirBath™,
lower the temps on your desoldering tools. Stop lifting
pads.
You'll never
de-solder thru-hole without preheat again.
5. Ideal for Shrink Tubing, the
AirBath™
is temperature controlled unlike heat guns that burn and
tear insulation and shrink tubing.
6. BGA, QFN Soldering &
DeSoldering. The AirBath™ is a
stand-alone, yet also a modular part of the
ZT-7BGA Hot
Air System.
The AirBath™ has
the essential features for BGA processing:
industry standard ramp rate; "post-cooling" rapid
cool-down (required for BGA's; and 25CFM (710
Liters/Minute) of preheat power
permitting lower final reflow temps.
Video: BGA & SMD De-Soldering in 3
Minutes.
Preheating at the Bench Duplicates the
Quality
Thermal
Profiles of
High Volume Production
Remove Chip Quickly Below 150°C with AirBath™ &
LOWMELT®
"Never Lift A Pad"
100% Non Contact SMT Hot Air Soldering With the AirBath™
&
a
Hot AirPencil™.
Highest Quality Joints.
Thru-Hole Desoldering
Is Easier & At Lower Temps With AirBath™ Preheat. Heavy
Ground Planes? No Problem!
Ideal
For Heat Shrink Tubing Applications.
Superior To Non-Regulated Heat Guns!
AirBath™
Preheat
Compliments the ZT-7-MIL
SMD/BGA
Station Perfectly.
Comparing the Four Methods of Preheating
Preheating PCB assemblies falls into four categories:
1.) hot plates, 2.) ovens, 3.) IR systems, and 4.)
forced convection (warm air) under a PCB:
The short video at the right breaks down these four
methods with comparative demonstrations.
While any PCB preheat prior to soldering is
better than none, an objective analysis of the various
methods of preheating reveals that
all preheating methods are not equally effective or
beneficial:
1.) Ovens:Using ovens to preheat before rework
and soldering for either removal and/or
replacement of components can yield the most uniform
temperature profile as it warms both the top and bottom
of the PCB as ovens also do in high volume production
equipment such as conveyor ovens and wave solder
machines. It's just a little problematic to crawl inside
an oven with your PCB to preheat while you perform
selective soldering or desoldering tasks on one side of
the board. Of course, one can preheat with an oven, and
then rush the PCB back to your bench, but it's hardly
practical solution.
Hundreds of Zephyrtronics AirBaths™
Utilized to
Build the International Space Station (ISS)
39-Page
Rework Guide
by NASA with Zephyrtronics AirBaths™
Zephyrtronics AirBaths™ Used on the Mars Rover &
Phoenix Programs.
Photo Credit: NASA
3.)
Hot Plates:
The obvious
limitation to the hot plate is that not all PCB
assemblies are single sided. In today's world of
hybrid and mixed technologies, the PCB that is
entirely flat or plane on one side is an exotic
and rare creature indeed. PC board
assemblies are never the same from one to
another. They can be populated with many
disparate devices such as heat-sinks,
connectors, relays, and transformers on both sides. These uneven surfaces on PCB'
present an indirect path of heat conduction from
hot plates to the board.
"Hot
air is more versatile than a hot plate due to
non-uniform parts on the bottom of the PC Board." Glen Dody, Motorola Lab National Journal of SMT, '96
4.) Superior AirBath™
Forced Convection Preheat™The PC board assembly market
has long spoken with regards to the
distinct advantages and superiority of a
warm air
bath in the pre-heating
process. It is why most all high
reliability governmental and quality
commercial PCB production, design and
rework/repair groups stick to and with
forced convection preheating: it is
superior.
Forced convection completely disregards
the topography (or bottomography) of a
PCB, allowing immediate, direct access
of the warm air into all of the nooks
and crannies of the PCB assembly. And
much like the newer, popular forced
convection commercial ovens, the
circulating warmed air is far more
effective than static warm air.
Unlike IR "systems", there's another
tremendous advantage with Zephyrtronics
AirBaths™ -- temp control is "built-in".
No small distinction! No fumbling with
taping
thermocouples on top of PCB's. AirBath™
preheat has temp control
by dial or push button with accuracy and
repeatability saving time, hassle, scrap and
money.
Finally, forced convection preheaters multi-task for cooling down PCB's
after soldering which is critical to
solder joint integrity as the
next section explains.
2.)
IR: There are
many drawbacks with infrared and why it really never completely caught on. Some of
the drawbacks (enumerated in articles and white
papers) are the difficulty in ramping temps,
darker surfaces heating more than lighter ones
('albedo' effect), shadowing caused by high
profile devices on PCB's. IR preheaters can warp
PCB's and some chips require
IR shielding with aluminum foil! If an IR preheater is very large,
working on small PCB's can be very uncomfortable for techs (a common complaint).
Another quality disadvantage
of IR preheaters is they are not
"temperature controlled" without taping an
external thermocouple onto each PCB before
working on it...a hassle/headache for techs and filled with quality pitfalls,
and inconsistent results. There are more
drawbacks, but these are some of the worst.
NASA & JPL: 'IR Preheaters Are Risky':
Addressing the preheating
process for heat sensitive chips in a
49-page published report, two JPL engineers, Dr.
Rajenshuni Ramesham and Dr. R. David Gerke,
wrote "Hot
plates and infrared preheaters are not
recommended for this type of rework. The
reason that they should not be used is that the
thermal reaction times, energy transfer rates
and efficiency are never consistent. However,
they can be used for large metal and
ground-plane boards in limited applications,
e.g., where the size of the board matches that
of the preheater in area."
Citing the late
William Scheu, the authors point to the
superiority of bottom-side preheating with forced
convection systems. The JPL/NASA Survey
spotlighted still more of the deficiencies of IR
preheating devices: "They have little
capacity to ramp and soak to perform properly
engineered repair scenarios or to support the
creation and application of complicated thermal
profiles. They also are limited in their ability
to preheat beyond the physical dimensions of the
heating surface. Hot-air preheating can be
ramped, soaked and, on some systems,
synchronized with the reflow process, permitting
duplication of the actual profile used in
manufacturing the assemblies. BGAs and
photoelectrical parts are sensitive to higher
temperatures and
any
attempt to preheat with marginally controllable
sources is risky."-- NASA & JPL: Survey
of Rework Methods & Equipment for Various
Packaging Technologies"
Aug.'05
Post-Cooling™ Mode Cools Down BGA's After Reflow
Within 8 Seconds Allowing Quicker Lifting Hot
Air Nozzles Preventing Bridging
Post-Cooling™ Feature Built Into The AirBaths™
Another real AirBath™ advantage is with
flipping a switch the unit transforms into a
post-cooler™ cooling down your PCB,
chips and solder
joints.
Post-Cooling™ is essential to soldering of
BGA's because hot air nozzles must not be lifted
from above the BGA until all the balled joints
have cooled so as not to cause unwanted bridging.
It's important to point out the obvious: hot
plates, static ovens and IR plates do not
provide the critical post-cooling™ feature
standard on every Zephyrtronics AirBath™.
Again, our engineers introduced the
concept of post-cooling™ to the benchtop
clear back in 1994. Our AirBaths™ can cool BGA's
enough within only 8 second permitting the hot
air nozzle to be lifted without fear of
bridging. Without post-cooling™ a technician
must wait for the ball/pad interface to
solidify completely before lifting the nozzle to
inspect. The
Post-Cooling™ feature remedies this problem
allowing rapid lifting of your hot air nozzles
from over the BGA after soldering.
Zephyrtronics: First in the World for Preheating PCB's:
Judged "Best New Product of the Year" and winner of the
prestigious "Vision Award" at the Surface Mount International
Expo in Silicon Valley in 1996 for its milestone contribution to
the global production of printed circuit boards. Zephyrtronics
AirBath™was
recognized and spotlighted by SMT Magazine in 1997 as a
"safer and simpler method for removing and repairing sensitive
devices."
Zephyrtronics is still the
original pioneer. We understand the thermodynamics of
preheating better than anyone else.
Our
AirBaths™
are the intelligent solution to stop burning up your printed
circuit board assemblies by preventing thermal
shock and
degradation, lifting pads or traces, substrate
delamination, measling, and warping your boards.
It is
no wonder for over twenty years now, Zephyrtronics
AirBaths™
have become the pre-heater of choice of nearly every major
aerospace and semiconductor manufacturer. It truly is the one
single tool that belongs on every bench. This is the
"Science of Zephyrtronics." We have your
AirBath™needs covered.
The BigGrid™
AirBath, One of Our Larger, More Powerful AirBaths™ is Surprisingly
Compact in Size & Delivers 50CFM (1,415 Liters/Minute) & 1,500 Watts
of Preheat Power
TECHNICAL DATA & SPECS
Models: ZT-1-BGS-DPU-120120 VAC (US, Canada & Mexico)Digital Model ZT-1-BGS-DPU-230230 VAC International Digital Model
ZT-1-BGS-MIL-120 120 VAC (US, Canada & Mexico)Digital ModelZT-1-BGS-MIL-230 230 VAC International Digital Model
Other: (All Models)
Power:1,500 Watts
Electrical Construction: 3-Wire Input with Earth Safety Ground W x H x D:12" x 4.5" x 7.2" (30 cm x 11 cm x 18 cm)
Weight:5.3 lbs (2.41 Kg)
Air Volume: 50CFM or 1,415 Liters per Minute
Preheating & Cooling Air Grid: 16 sq. inches (110 Sq. Cm)
Temperature Modes: Preheating & Cooling
Preheat Temp Range: Ambient (Room Temp) to 205°C (400°F) Preheat Ramp Rate: 2-4° C per second
Cooling Temp: Ambient (Room Temp) Temperature Stability:± 3°C (± 5 °F) at Idle. Absolute Temperature Stability:Meets or Exceeds ANSI-J-Std Air Supply: Self-Contained Internal Supply (No Air Hookups)
Construction: All Metal ESD Safe Construction
Warranty: One Year Limited Warranty Parts & Labor
Recommended: Use With ABC Series of Board Cradles / Fixtures
FEATURES & BENEFITS
Our BigGrid™ AirBath Used by NASA on Both Mars Rovers
Prevents Thermal Shock of Components
Permits Lower Soldering & DeSoldering Reflow Temperatures
Ideal for the Heaviest PCB's & Lead-Free Applications
Helps Prevent Warping Substrates & Damaging Pads
Superior Forced Convection Preheating
1,500 Watts of Preheat Power
16 Square Inch (110 sq. cm) Preheat Grid
Powerful 50 CFM (1,415 Liters/Minute) Air Volume
Digital & Analog Models
Preheating Mode With Red Lighted Indicator
Preheating Mode: Ambient (Room Temp) to 205°C
Post-Cooling™ Mode with Blue Lighted Indicator
Preheating Ramp Rate at Industry Standard 2°-4°C Per Second
Self-Contained (No Air Hook-Ups Required)
Small, Compact Construction Respects Benchtop Space
ESD Safe
One Year Limited Warranty Parts & Labor
Every Unit is Individually Calibrated at the Zephyrtronics Factory
ZT-1-BGS BIG-GRID™ DIGITAL AIRBATH™ PCB PREHEATER
Description
Model
Buy Now
BIG-GRID™ DIGITAL
AIRBATH
50
CFM Air Power (1,415 Liter/Min) 1,500 Watt Power
ZT-1-BGS-DPU-120
(120 Volt for the U.S., Canada & Mexico)
ZT-1-BGS-DPU-230
(230 Volt For All
Int'l Customers)
$1,995
BIG-GRID™ ANALOG
AIRBATH
50
CFM Air Power (1,415 Liter/Min) 1,500 Watt Power
ZT-1-BGS-MIL-120
(120 Volt for the U.S., Canada & Mexico)
$1,595
ZT-1-BGS-MIL-230
(230 Volt For All Int'l Customers
$1,595
* We manufacture many other sizes of AirBaths. Please note that The BigGrid™ is one of our larger AirBath Preheaters and you may
want to check out our entire AirBath Catalog Directory where we are certain that we have an AirBath Preheater tailored to your
company's PCB needs.
ABC SERIES OF ADJUStable BOARD CRADLES™ / PCB FIXTURES
Description
Model
Buy Now
ADJUStable BOARD CRADLE
3-RAIL (10” X 18” MAX)
ABC-1
$345
ADJUStable BOARD CRADLE
3-RAIL (20” X 18” MAX)
ABC-2
$395
ADJUStable BOARD CRADLE
QUATRO (10” X 18” MAX)
ABC-1-Q
$395
ADJUStable
BOARD CRADLE QUATRO
(20” X 18” MAX)
ABC-2-Q
$425
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES
Description
Model
Buy Now
EXTRA/REPLACEMENT
POSTS
(SET
OF
4)
2-POST
AND
8-POST
POSITIONING
(8
POSTS
ALLOW
PCB
INSIDE
OF
ABC
TO
BE
FLIPPED
UP &
DOWN
DURING
THRU-HOLE
DESOLDERING)