APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING AN INERTING GAS DURING SOLDERING

THERE IS DISCLOSED A METHOD FOR PROVIDING AN INERTING GAS ATMOSPHERE DURING WAVE SOLDERING OF A WORK PIECE. THE METHOD PROVIDES A WAVE SOLDERING MACHINE (170) COMPRISING A SOLDER RESERVOIR (175) HAVING MOLTEN SOLDER (180), AT LEAST ONE NOZZLE (185), AT LEAST ONE PUMP TO GENERATE AT LEAST ONE SOLDER WAVE FROM THE MOLTEN SOLDER BATH UPWARDLY THROUGH THE NOZZLE; PLACING AN APPARATUS ATOP AT LEAST ONE EDGE (145) OF THE SOLDER RESERVOIR (175). THE APPARATUS COMPRISES AT LEAST ONE OPENING ON A TOP SURFACE (240), AT LEAST ONE GROOVE (245) THAT RESTS ATOP THE AT LEAST ONE EDGE OF THE SOLDER RESERVOIR, A PLURALITY OF TUBES (155) COMPRISING ONE OR MORE OPENINGS IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH AN INERTING GAS SOURCE. THE WORK PIECE TO BE SOLDERED (100) AND THE TOP SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN SOLDER DEFINE AN ATMOSPHERE (120) AND WHEREIN THERE IS SUBSTANTIALLY NO GAP BETWEEN THE WORK PIECE TO BE SOLDERED AND THE APEX OF THE AT LEAST ONE SOLDER WAVE, PASSING A WORK PIECE ALONG A PATH SO THAT AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE WORK PIECE CONTACTS THE AT LEAST ONE SOLDER WAVE EMITTING THROUGH THE OPENING OF THE APPARATUS WHILE INTRODUCING AN INERTING GAS THROUGH THE TUBES AND INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. AT LEAST ONE OF THE TUBES CONTACTS A PORTION OF A THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE PROTRUSION (157) WHICH IS INSERTED INTO THE MOLTEN SOLDER WHEREBY THE AT LEAST ONE TUBE IS HEATED TO A TEMPERATURE THAT IS ABOVE THE MELTING POINT OF THE MOLTEN SOLDER. (FIG. 3A)