July, 2015
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Ethernet Industrial I/O Simplifies Wave Solder Machine Control
By Jim Lamberson, Sensoray, Tigard, OR S
peedline Technologies, Inc.® is a developer and provider of capital equipment for elec- tronics manufacturing, used in printed-cir-
cuit-board (PCB) assembly facilities around the world. Collaborating closely with Electrovert®, Speedline’s Missouri-based business unit special- izing in reflow soldering, wave soldering, curing, and cleaning equipment, Sensoray developed the model 2600 series industrial input/output (I/O) system via Ethernet. The system enables simpli- fied but effective control of wave soldering ma- chines for efficient PCB manufacturing. Initially adopted for wave soldering systems,
the Ethernet-based I/O system has since been in- corporated into all of Electrovert’s reflow soldering and precision cleaning equipment product lines. The new I/O offers Electrovert pro- tection from platform obsolescence, eases training for assembly and service technicians, simplifies ca- bling, and improves overall service- ability. First used in 2004, the I/O has been designed into numerous other applications, including ma- chine control, industrial process control, building automation, and remote data acquisition applica- tions in a wide range of industries, from agriculture to aerospace. Wave soldering is used for
high-reliability board assemblies, especially electronics technology in automotive, industrial, medical, data transfer, military, and aero- space applications. It is also used for such heavy-duty systems as earth movers and oil rigs that drill thousands of feet below the earth’s surface. A wave soldering system employs many different function modules, including heaters, which must be tightly controlled. Each heating module contains a number of individual heating units, each with temperature sensors for acti- vation and deactivation. Sensors are attached by cables to I/O inter- faces for computer control. The I/O interface also provides control of the many of functions, such as mo- tors and conveyer belts, within a wave soldering system. The capability to tightly con-
trol the wave soldering process is critical to wave soldering quality and repeatability. Communications and internal data transfer between sensors, controllers, and machine operating system can reach thou- sands of commands per second. The technology used in the design of the I/O circuits, data conversion, and cabling is critical to a wave solder- ing process and the capability of the machine to perform as designed. Electrovert initiated discus-
sions with Sensoray on the possible use of an Ethernet-based I/O for up- dating its wave soldering systems. Sensoray had provided technical as- sistance to support previous I/O products, so Electrovert began dis- cussions on how the Sensoray prod- uct could be tailored to Electrovert’s applications. The wave soldering machines required analog, digital, and counter modules for multiple I/O connections. Greg Calvo, Prod- uct Manager of Speedline’s Electro- vert line, recalls: “Electrovert had used other Sensoray products and wanted to take advantage of Senso- ray’s willingness to continuously improve its products utilizing
newer technologies.” This process ultimately led to the develop-
ment of the model 2600 Series Industrial I/O via Ethernet. At the heart of every 2600 system is a model 2601 communications module, which dis- tributes power, interlock signals, and communica- tions signals to as many as 16 I/O modules. The communications module also includes four RS- 232/422/485 communications ports for connections with serial devices, including barcode scanners. Electrovert’s VectraElite™ wave soldering
A wave soldering system incorporates a number of different modules that are interconnected by means of cables.
system was the first system to use the model 2600 cards in 2004. It included seven model 2600 mod-
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