Oven for controlled heating of compounds at varying temperatures

An oven is provided for curing or reflowing compounds on objects, such as lead frames or other substrates. The oven comprises a heating chamber, a heating assembly mounted in thermal communication with the heating chamber to provide heat thereto, and a support assembly for supporting the object in the heating chamber for heating. The heating assembly and support assembly are configured to be movable relative to one another for controllably positioning the object at variable distances with respect to the heating assembly. Heating of the object according to a heating profile can thus be achieved by controlled heating of the object at different temperatures by positioning the object at different distances with respect to the heating assembly during the heating process although there is a single heating zone.