A thermal model of the preheat section in wave soldering

This paper presents the development of a numerical model for the determination of the temperature profile in the preheat section of wave soldering equipment. The model takes into consideration the various heat transfer modes (conduction, convection and radiation) and various input parameters (conveyor speed, materials properties, air speed, heat input). The application of the model is to construct the desired or required temperature profile by known mass, material properties, heat lost and design of experiments. Experiments on a full-scale simplified physical model were also conducted. The results were used for fine tuning of the thermal model. An illustration of the use of the model to help an engineer reduce the uncertainty in achieving the desired profile is also presented