Productronic - NITROGEN GENERATION FOR ELECTRONICS PRODUCTION

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Article Productronic 12/2018


Electronics manufacturer reduces running costs in production with self-generated nitrogen

The soldering of electronic assemblies takes place in an inert gas atmosphere composed of nitrogen in order to guarantee product quality. To this end, a globally leading manufacturer of electronic components and customer of INMATEC generates its nitrogen using an on-site generator and is therefore able to variably control the quantity and purity of the nitrogen. After years of experience, the company is now producing with a validated process at a nitrogen purity of 4.0 instead of the 5.0 that is customary in the industry. The company does this with undiminished high quality and significant cost savings.

ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLIES - NITROGEN AS AN INERT GAS

Electronic assemblies are produced using the wave soldering process. In this regard, the use of nitrogen as an inert gas is essential for producing high-quality solder joints. Nitrogen provides a suitable environment for avoiding oxidation and helps to prevent the adverse effects of oxygen on the soldering process. This suppresses dross formation and reduces solder and flux consumption, for example. The result is improved soldering quality and reduced rework and repairs. Our customer, based in Austria, is a successful manufacturer of electronic component solutions in the lighting industry and uses the wave soldering process. The company‘s portfolio includes LED light sources, electronic control gear and digital lighting control systems. Since the introduction of the EU directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS - Restriction of Hazardous Substances), the company only uses lead-free solders and uses nitrogen as an inert gas in the production process, which was not previously necessary.

The company evaluated various ways of securing the nitrogen supply. Having nitrogen supplied was ultimately ruled out due to excessive costs. By using an INMATEC nitrogen generator, the company was able to achieve its goal of becoming flexible in relation to the provision of nitrogen for the production process while, at the same time, reducing costs. The new generator made it possible to vary both the quantity produced and the nitrogen purity. With the aid of the generator, the company gained experience over the years in dealing with nitrogen for production. This revealed that it is also possible for wave soldering to be carried out with a purity of 4.0 without a loss of quality. The use of 5.0 is customary in the industry. This saves the company considerable running costs. As a result, the company arranged 4.0 certification for two new full tunnel wave soldering machines with the manufacturer. This was done on the basis of a detailed specification when the production facility was due to be updated. A novelty in the industry. All of our customer’s wave soldering systems are now certified for a nitrogen purity of 4.0. This means that nitrogen purity is now 99.99% in the production process instead of 99.999%.

For the production of nitrogen and adaptation to the new capacities, the company is already using the third generation of INMATEC nitrogen generators. The plants from the IMT PN PAN series generate nitrogen whereby clean compressed air flows through adsorption vessels filled with a carbon molecular sieve. In this PSA or pressure swing adsorption process, the high-quality activated carbon binds oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules while the free nitrogen molecules flow into the product tank. In addition, the PAN technology (power as needed) enables a consumption- dependent and energy-optimised supply of high-purity nitrogen. According to the production manager, the INMATEC nitrogen generators automatically adapt to the production processes and deliver exactly the required amount of nitrogen in the desired purity. On the one hand, there is always enough nitrogen available for production during production peaks. On the other hand, the company saves nitrogen if production is not fully utilised. This helps the company signi cantly reduce production costs.

 

Published in Productronic 12/2018


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