!-- Vapor Phase Reflow --! Out of the Box Manufacturing has a new Capability
Key advantages of vapor phase reflow:
- Uniform and Efficient heat transfer
- Prevents overheating
- Suitable for challenging parts
- Improved solder joint quality
- Wide process window
Contact us for a quote: https://www.obmfg.com/get-a-quote/
Out of the Box Manufacturing’s new capability means their boards can now be soldered using this method instead of, or in addition to, conventional convection reflow.
Vapor phase reflow (also called vapor phase soldering or condensation soldering) is a PCB soldering process that uses the hot vapor of a specially formulated inert liquid to uniformly heat assemblies and melt solder paste in a tightly controlled, oxygen‑free environment.
What is vapor phase reflow?
A sealed chamber contains an inert heat‑transfer liquid (typically a perfluoropolyether such as Galden PFPE) that is heated to its boiling point, creating a dense vapor layer at a fixed, well‑defined temperature.
PCBs with solder paste and components are lowered into this vapor; the vapor condenses on the cooler board, transferring latent heat very efficiently until the board reaches the vapor temperature and the solder reflows.
Because the vapor’s boiling point is set just above the solder’s melting point, components cannot be overheated; once the board reaches that temperature, it stops gaining heat, which greatly reduces thermal damage risk.
Key advantages
- Uniform heating on complex boards:
High, consistent heat transfer across the entire assembly helps avoid cold joints and shadowing on high‑mass or densely populated PCBs.
- Oxygen‑free environment:
The dense vapor displaces oxygen, reducing oxidation, improving wetting, and often lowering voiding in solder joints, especially on BGAs and power pads.
- Tight temperature control:
The fixed vapor temperature and efficient heat transfer give a very narrow process window and minimize thermal gradients between large and small components.
- Good fit for high‑mix/low‑volume:
Modern vapor phase systems are typically batch‑based, which works well for protos and smaller runs where building a unique convection profile per assembly is painful.
Typical use cases
- High‑density or thermally challenging assemblies (e.g., heavy copper, thick multilayer boards, large ground planes, mixed component sizes).
- Sensitive components where over‑temperature margin is small, or where rework risk is high and first‑pass yield is critical.
- Power electronics and RF, where voiding and joint integrity materially impact thermal and electrical performance.
Why this is important
- There can be fewer thermal defects and better joints on “problem” boards: heavy copper, large ground planes, dense fine‑pitch packages.
- It is important to note “no‑overheat” physics: the process is self‑limiting to the fluid’s boiling point, which protects sensitive semiconductors and complex assemblies.
- This highlights the fit with prototype and high‑mix production, where dialing in multiple convection profiles is costly and time‑consuming.
Many shops are convection‑only, so with our vapor phase reflow, Out of the Box Manufacturing continues to stand out with an evolution of advanced process options rather than a commodity service.
Out of the Box Manufacturing is ready for new projects, which means your boards can now be soldered using this method, in addition to or instead of conventional convection reflow.
How about a quick video overview?
Contact us for a quote: https://www.obmfg.com/get-a-quote/