The heat is on in the worldwide oven business

The enterprise is technically located in a huge lively area of applications which is characterized by reflow soldering, heating, drying of lacquers or other liquids (epoxy, polymer, etc.), and hardening or curing of adhesives. These latter technologies are used for example in glob-top applications, packaging, underfilling, encapsulation or conformal coating technology. The advanced furna-ces have gained reputationby a very solid design andby intelligently engineereddetails.

This fondness of excellent solutions becomes visible, for example, in the full-tunnel FMX flux management system that virtually collects all process residues of which only a minor contribution is flux-related; the biggest parts come from PCBs and components. The transport system (their dual version is Siplace compatible) features center support to prevent PCB warping at the glass-transition temperature with either a fiber cable or a stainless steel finger chain, fully computer-controlled. Other emphasized properties are the heating elements, the water cooling system (up to the cooling of the module door silicon elastic sealings), and the tight control of oxygen left in inert gas operation ensuring a low nitrogen consumption. Later on, a technical article will cover some of the features of the oven lines, focusing on the brand-new top-of-the-range model SMS-V6, a full-convection reflow soldering furnace.

From the Rehm engineering side, these soldering ovens are well prepared for the next-step, lead-free process technology. Not to forget the remote maintenance system in which the help desk can be accessed by the internet or world wide web with ease-of-use. All in all: the company’s management and engineers apparently know that well-defined technology together with support and service are an absolute prerequisite to success-fully and reliably operatethe equipment on the shop floor where often 24hrs a day, 7 days a week production takes place. Such a 3-shift labor puts a lot more demand on machines than an 8 hour day.

In its special oven business, the company estimates net sales of more than DM31m during this year, employing about 100 people. Rehm relies upon a tightly knotted net of representatives in Europe and Asia, supported by the headquarters. For the Americas, Rehm established its own subsidiary last year in New York State which is also supporting the representatives in Mexico and Brazil. This U.S. office, headed by Matt Brown (ex-Heller), will now be further expanded. Also, there are plans to establish an Asian subsidiary, probably in South Korea. Currently, the month-ly production capacity of the Rehm company exceeds25 machines. Most of the business is still raised in Europe (50%), followed by Asia (35%) and the Americans (15%). The tendency shows that the overseas markets are gaining ever more momentum, and the European share is declining slowly. Momentarily, the total base of installed machines is more than 600 worldwide. Gerhard Wolski

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EPP 152