BGA Rework Station       Hot Air BGA Station    BGA, CSP, Micro BGA, QFN, SMD, QFP, PLCC, SOIC, More

ZT-7 BGA, CSP and SMT HOT AIR REFLOW CENTER
Your Comprehensive Solution for BGA, SMT, QFN & CSP Rework & Repair, Reballing, BGA  Alignment, Placement, Preheat & Reflow at the Bench

The Zephyrtronics ZT-7 System "makes mounting / removal of through-hole and surface mount components easier than routine benchtop methods" and "minimizes thermal stresses due to temperature differentials during assembly and rework" and "enables the mounting of Ball Grid Arrays and other hidden pin packages on site."  -- NASA Report, Jan. 9, 2004

With all of the critical process controls "built in," the ZT-7 System was engineered to eliminate the worry over compressed air hook-ups, air pressure settings, external fanning equipment, external and awkward foot pedals. The ZT-7 is a fully integrated system making the meticulous, temperature profiles of high volume production equipment now attainable right at the bench. 

So Many Utilities: Whether the application is of the high reliability such as space and military work or everyday rework of even commercial game entertainment systems such as the XBOX, the ZT-7 is at work even as you read this all over the world! No wonder the ZT-7 is now the number one hot air rework station in North America.

Just a Few of the ZT-7’s Novel Features: This remarkable bench system features closed loop electronic digital temperature control; a digital countdown timer with audible beeper for process and profile uniformity; a mobile heating zone with the unique capacity of both 1.) a "Z-Axis" to raise and lower the heating zone to the targeted component on the substrate; and 2.) a "Y-Axis" which retracts and returns the heat zone before and after reflow allowing the technician to align, flux, prep, clean, inspect without the heat zone interfering. (Both the Z and Y axis travel are made via precision linear ball bearing slides which mean smooth, accurate and repeatable performance.

Unique Retractable Heat-Zone & Single-Spot Alignment: Noteworthy is our exclusive, patent-protected "Single Spot Alignment, Placement & Reflow Feature" because the ZT-7System NEVER requires PCB movement once your chip has been aligned and placed. The ZT-7 brings the heat zone to the target unlike most other BGA "machines" with elaborate (and expensive!) vision alignment systems that constantly need calibrating and which remotely place the BGA or CSP, only to require the board and the loose components to be moved afterwards to a distant heat zone. (Who on earth thought of that?) And what's even better, the ZT-7 is universal for both BGA's & CSP's (No need for two machines!)

Our Patented  BGA Alignment Template Eliminates Need for Pricey Split-Beam Vision Models.

Noteworthy! Extra Low Velocity Hot Air Flow from ZT-7 Reflow Nozzles: The ZT-7-MIL has less than 20 CFM of air velocity from its Reflow Nozzles. Why is that important? Three critical reasons: 1.) Our extra-low velocity heated air from the Reflow Nozzle prevents unwanted adjacent component reflow. With most BGA's surrounded by small chips, this is a great benefit; 2.) Our extra-low velocity heated air from the Reflow Nozzle prevents unwanted adjacent component reflow. With most BGA's surrounded by small chips, this is a great benefit; 2.) Our extra-low velocity heated air will not blow or scatter solder around the PCB; 3.) Our less-than-20 CFM air velocity from the nozzle prevents unwanted hydroplaning of small chips during reflow. Your chip stays put and is not blown out of alignment.

Our Secret? Low velocity air flow reflow from the nozzle is possible because Zephyrtronics has ample preheating air flow from below the PCB from our AirBaths. High volume, low temp preheat air flow from below translates into easy reflow from above!  And this is where nearly all the other SMT & BGA machines on the market really get it wrong because they have ineffective preheating (weak IR or hot plates) and therefore must compensate with high velocity air from their nozzles to achieve solder reflow. QFN's and E-Pads? Of course, our AirBath preheating advantage makes working with those pesky QFN packages easy as can be. Yes, those "e-pads" or "thermal pads" or "belly slugs" on the bottom side of the chip are no problem with your ZT-7 System! Even with the many RoHS lead-free solder alloys.

The ZT-7 Handles Large PCB's Up to 20 1/2" (52 cm) Deep

The ZT-7 features two independent and 360° adjustments for both the nozzle and for the chip vacuum probe. Ideal when working with angled and/or skewed chips.

Front-Access Nozzle Dock Makes Changing Nozzles Quick & Easy. Nozzles "Lock In" Securely!

The ZT-7 Excels with Lead-Free Solder Alloys!  Because every ZT-7000 System includes the popular ZT-1-BGS-DPU "Big Grid" AirBath, working with lead-free alloys is a breeze. Unlike other "systems", with the ZT-7, one need not remove adjacent chips around the BGA before attempting to solder or desolder. The powerful capacity of the AirBath Bottom-Side Preheating System is the key element here.

Critical Post-Cooling Feature: And beyond the many benefits of bottom side convective preheating, the ZT-1 AirBath provides the essential "Post Cooling" of the PCB assembly after reflow. Post-cooling after reflow of Ball Grid Arrays & Chip Scale Packages is an absolute requirement to insure that the molten ball/pad interface cools quickly to avoid unwanted bridging and "opens". (Note: The importance of preheating and post-cooling at the benchtop and it many benefits is taught in our technical paper: Two Critical PCB Rework Processes: Pre-Heating and Post Cooling.)

Because the exit air temperatures of the ZT-7 and the ZT-1 are both electronically maintained by easy-to-use digital controllers on the front panels, technicians can confidently expect the same thermal profiles at the bench that are routinely achieved with high end, high volume production reflow equipment such as conveyor ovens, IR/Vapor reflow wave solder machines. Now aren't you glad you did not buy one of those other machines?

The ZT-7 Selected by NASA & JPL

Don't let the simplicity and affordability of the ZT-7 lead you to underestimate its capacity, its power, its utility or its quality performance. This is the very same ZT-7 chosen by both NASA and JPL for soldering the BGA's and SMD's on the two high-reliability and highly successful Mars Rovers. Even the largest full metal-topped BGA's used on both of the Mars Rovers were soldered with the Zephyrtronics ZT-7 Hot-Air Reflow Center!

Indeed, NASA engineers prepared a 39 page document touting the ZT-7 system in a report for its employees which includes nearly 300 color photographs of how to set up and and technical tips for using the Zephyrtronics ZT-7. Zephyrtronics now includes this helpful report inside of every ZT-7 that we ship to our customers along with the Zephyrtronics detailed ZT-7 Owners Manual. We don't know of any other manufacturer of SMT or BGA reflow machines that can make that claim.

Additionally, the ZT-7 is used by engineers and technicians at Raytheon® at their Tomahawk and Patriot Missile projects and is also currently in use by Boeing®, Harvard, M.I.T., Sony®, Intel®, International Rectifier®, National Semiconductor, Xilinx®, LSI Logic®, Motorola®, Agilent® and many more of the world's most prestigious commercial, academic, military, medical and electronic campuses. It may very well be the number one selling SMT & BGA benchtop system sold in North America.

Easy to use? Absolutely. Affordable? Definitely. Dependable quality in performance? Well, the solder joints that were made with the Zephyrtronics ZT-7 by JPL employees were catapulted out of the atmosphere at 4 million Newtons (900,000 pounds) of thrust, traveled over 500 million kilometers (310 million miles)  at times as fast as 25,000 miles per hour, endured extreme thermal conditions coupled with exposure to gamma rays, survived the landing impact onto the red planet's surface and thereby permitting the two Rovers to perform admirably on the rugged terrain of Mars. How's that for quality solder joints?

And don’t overlook that the ZT-7-MIL is also your BGA Re-Balling solution. 

The ZT-7 BGA, CSP & SMT Hot Air Bench Top Reflow System is available from Zephyrtronics today. The ZT-7-MIL, the ZT-1-BGS-DPU, the ZT-1-HIS-DPU, and the ABC-1 can be purchased separately or as a complete system as shown below. For more detailed information on Zephyrtronics most popular systems, see our Zephyrtronics Systems Section.
 

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SMT Nozzles for the ZT-7 System         BGA Nozzles for the ZT-7 System