PCB Pre-heaters. Preheat for SMT, SMD, BGA. Lead-Free Solder Preheaters. Rework Pre-heat.

Here are our award-winning and patent protected ZT-1-HIS (Heavy Industrial) AirBath™ Pre-heating Systems, your effective solution to preheat printed circuit board assemblies during low-volume or prototyping tasks, and in rework and repair.

Two Models: Digital & Analog! Our ZT-1-HIS AirBaths™ are available in two popular models: Digital and Analog. Both models feature a powerful 25 CFM (710 Liters/Minute) of air supply. And because of our greater volume of air supply, you can pre-heat at far lower temps than with other ineffective preheating devices limited by their low air volume outputs and which require higher temps and which will burn your boards. Not an imitative, "preheating toy", this is your preheating tool.

800 Watts of Power: Coupled with our ample air output is our 800 Watts of preheating capacity. This is effective preheating by design!

The ZT-1-HIS AirBath Chosen By Boeing for the International Space Station Project.

More Details:

More Details:


		OUR HEAVY INDUSTRIAL PRE-HEATING SERIES

ZT-1 HIS PRE-HEATING AIRBATHS™ *Effective, Bottom-Side Convection Pre-Heating for PCB, Thru-Hole, SMD, SMT, QFN & BGA Rework & Repair*

	Powerful 800 Watts With Ample 25 CFM AIR SUPPLY (710 Liters per Minute)
The Zephyrtronics' AirBath “bathes the circuit board in warm air to reduce thermal stresses to the board and its components.”-- NASA Report, January 9, 2004

Preheat Power: Our ZT-1-HIS AirBath™ Systems, with a generous and powerful 25 CFM (710 Liters/Minute) of air supply from the AirCone™ delivers its forced-convection preheating power for even the most challenging PCB's. Beware of imitative pre-heaters with less than 13CFM (360 liters/minute) that crudely attempt to compensate for their lack of preheat air volume with higher temp settings. Remember: the glass transition of a FR-4 PCB is only 170°C. You don't want higher preheat temps, you want a higher volume of safe preheated (100°C to 170°C) air for your PCB's.

Loaded With Premium Features: The ZT-1-HIS AirBaths™ get into all the nooks and crannies of the PCB assembly where hot plates and IR pre-heaters can't go (more below). It is ESD-safe; features illuminated indicator lights (blue: cooling; red: preheating); it is self-contained with an internal air supply (no hookups); all inside a durable, steel housing for industrial use and long production life.

Critical Thermal Ramping: The ZT-1-HIS AirBaths™ have the industry standard, built-in temperature ramping at 2° to 4°C per second preventing thermal shock to sensitive chips, ceramic caps and glass diodes. The ramp is "built in" by design into every Zephyrtronics AirBath™ Preheating System. Our ramping was essential to Motorola® and Boeing with their space applications.

ZT-1-HIS HEAVY INDUSTRIAL AIRBATH PREHEATERS
Description		Model	Price	Buy Now
	DIGITAL AIRBATH 25 CFM Air Power (710 Liter/Min) 800 Watt Power	ZT-1-HIS-DPU-120 120 Volt for the U.S., Canada & Mexico)	$1,395
		ZT-1-HIS-DPU-230 230 Volt for Our International Customers	$1395
	ANALOG AIRBATH 25 CFM Air Power (710 Liter/Min) 800 Watt Power	ZT-1-HIS-MIL-120 120 Volt for the U.S., Canada & Mexico	$999

* We manufacture many other sizes of AirBaths. Please note that the HIS Series is our mid-range of AirBath Pre-heaters. Please check out our entire AirBath Catalog Directory where we are certain that we have an AirBath Pre-heater tailored to your company's PCB needs.

ABC SERIES OF ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLES
Description		Model	Price	Buy Now
	ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE 3-RAIL (10” X 18” MAX)	ABC-1	$195
	ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE 3-RAIL (20” X 18” MAX)	ABC-2	$235
	ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE QUATRO (10” X 18” MAX)	ABC-1-Q	$235
	ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE QUATRO (20” X 18” MAX)	ABC-2-Q	$275

The Many Benefits of Preheating Your PCB: The benefits from preheating are multiple and compounding. 1.) Preheating or "soaking" the assembly prior to initiating reflow helps to activate the flux, removing oxides and surface films from the leads and pads to be soldered, thereby enhancing the wetting process and solder joint quality. 2.) Preheating the board permits lower soldering reflow temperatures. 3.) Preheating reduces the final "dwell time" during the final reflow stage. 4.) Preheating reduces thermal stresses to the PCB substrate and its components when localized reflow is made with soldering irons, de-soldering tools and hot air systems. 5.) Preheating provides the thermal boost needed when working with RoHS lead-free solders without damaging the work!

For Thru-Hole, SMT & BGA Preheating Tasks: The HIS Series AirBath Preheating Systems is ideal for all PCB challenges from low-volume production runs, prototyping during design or during rework with all component packages such as BGA, CSP, QFP, QFN, TSOP, PLCC, SOIC, SOL, LCC, Flip Chip and Glob Top components. And it easily handles all substrates including FR-4, polyimide, composites, flex circuits and ceramic boards.

Two AirBath™ HIS Models: Our HIS Series of AirBaths™ are available in two models: Analog and Digital. Both models feature variable temperature selection between ambient (room temp) and up to 205°C. Both models feature closed-loop feedback temperature sensing control. The analog model has a dial for temp selection on the front panel. The digital model incorporates a digital set/read lighted display that permits single digit/degree incremental temperature selection in the "set" mode and tracks real time temperature at the air exit point above the grids. Our Analog Model provides the two most common preheat settings: 100°C and 150°C.

Model ZT-1-HIS-DPU Features Digital Temp Display With Temp Set
& Read Functions
on Front Panel.

Model ZT-1-HIS-MIL Features the Two Most Common Preheat Temps: 100°C & 150°C By Rocker Switch.

Your Lead-Free Solution: Working with the newer lead-free, RoHS compliant solder alloys --- all having higher melting points --- makes preheating more essential to any PCB work at the bench. Don't raise temperatures higher on your soldering irons, desoldering tools, hot air nozzles, thermal tweezers, or hot air pencils! If you just briefly preheat the bottom of your PCB before reflow, can perform your soldering or desoldering on the top side of the board at traditional, lower temperatures.

About the RoHS Lead-Free Solder Mandate: Learn more here about the European Lead-Free Mandate & Preheating. Zephyrtronics AirBath™ preheating systems are your Lead-Free, RoHS soldering solutions radically reducing the elevated solder reflow temps that without preheat are needed with lead-free alloys. No need to burn your PCB's when you have an AirBath™.

All Preheaters Are Not Created Equally:
Here are a few of the helpful applications and utilities of the ZT-1-HIS AirBaths™

1. Achieve High-End Superb Thermal Profiles at the Bench with the required industry standard 2°-4°C ramping to preheat! The 2°-4°C ramp is "built in" to every Zephyrtronics AirBath™ and prevents thermal shock of ceramic capacitors, glass diodes and temperature sensitive components, plus ramping helps prevent "pop-corning" of moisture within I.C.'s. Importantly, preheating allows flux activation and the ability to work at lower temps on the topside of the PCB with your soldering tools. Effective preheating prevents scorching substrates, damaging pads and components during rework or prototyping.

2. A New Rework Paradigm: Another benefit of preheating is that it allows you the option to remove your SMD's below 150°C with only an AirBath™ and our LOWMELT® De-Solder through the proven process of co-metalization. No nozzles! No lifting pads! No more burning PCB's! Your AirBath™ puts this extra rework option right at your fingertips.

3. Non-Contact Hot Air Soldering: One of the more popular benefits of the AirBath™ is that you can now also use solder "paste" -- as well as solder wire --- as is used in high volume soldering production with a Hot AirPencil just your AirBath™. This is a 100% non-contact (NASA calls it "non-touch") method of soldering at the bench and is, without a doubt, the closest mirror to conveyor oven reflow yielding showcase solder joints complete with fillets at both the toe and the heel of the component, but preheating is mandatory.

4. Thru-Hole Rework: Heavy ground planes? High copper content? Big heat sinks? No problem! Your AirBath™ makes desoldering thru-hole chips a breeze! Place your PCB over the AirBath™, turn down temp settings on your desoldering tools and stop lifting pads. This is your preheat boost! You'll never de-solder thru-hole without preheat again.

5. Heat Shrink Tubing: The AirBath™ is ideal for your shrink tubing. Superior to heat guns that can burn and tear your wire insulation or heat-shrink tubing, the AirBath™ is temperature controlled making working with heat shrink tubing easy.

6. BGA, CSP Soldering & DeSoldering. Your AirBath™ is also a modular component to to our comprehensive ZT-7-ML BGA HOT AIR REFLOW SYSTEM. So even if you are not yet working with BGA's, should you do so in the future, your AirBath™ will already have you half the way there! Because, the AirBath™ has all the essential features for BGA processing incorporated in its design: industry standard ramp rate to preheat; "post-cooling" for rapid cool-down which is critical to the BGA reflow process; a generous and powerful 25CFM (710 Liters/Minute) of preheat power from the AirCone™ which allows a lower final reflow temperature from your nozzles above.

Preheating PCB at Benchtop Mimics High Quality Thermal Profiles on Production Floor

Remove Chip Quickly at Less Than 150°C with AirBath & LOWMELT® "Never Lift A Pad"

100% Non Contact , SMT Hot Air Solder Reflow With the AirBath and a Hot AirPencil. Yields Highest Quality Joints.

Thru-Hole Desoldering Made Easier & At Lower Temps With The AirBath Preheat Heavy Ground Planes? No Problem!

Ideal For Heat Shrink Tubing Applications
Far Superior To Uncontrolled Heat Guns!

The BigGrid™ Works Perfectly with the
ZT-7-MIL BGA, CSP, SMT & Thru-Hole Hot Air Reflow Center.

Comparing The 4 Methods of Preheating:

Pre-heating PCB assemblies falls into four categories: Use of hot plates, use of ovens, IR systems, and the use of forced convection (warm air) up under the PCB:. While any preheating of your PCB's prior to solder reflow is certainly better than none, an objective analysis of the various methods of preheating quickly reveals that all preheating methods are not equally effective or beneficial:

The Oven: The use of an oven to pre-heat the substrate before reworking and initiating solder reflow for either removal and/or replacement of components can yield the most uniform temperature profile as it warms both the top and bottom of the PCB assembly as ovens also do in high volume production equipment such as conveyor ovens and wave solder machines. It's just a little problematic to crawl inside an oven with your PCB to preheat while your perform selective soldering or desoldering tasks on one side of the board. Of course, one can preheat in an oven and then race with it in your high-gloved hands back to the bench, but it's hardly a solution either.

The Hot Plate: The obvious limitation to the hot plate is that not all PCB assemblies are single sided. In fact, in today's world of hybrid and mixed technologies, the PCB that is entirely flat or plane on one side is an exotic and rare creature indeed. PCB's typically can carry heat sinks, connectors, jumpers and transformers on both sides of the substrate. These uneven surfaces on the board present an indirect path of heat conduction from the hot plate to the board assembly.

The IR Plate Preheater: There are many drawbacks to IR which is why it really never completely caught on. That is not to say that, as with hot plates, there are some applications that work with IR pre-heaters. Some of drawbacks which have been enumerated in articles in SMT Magazine, Circuits Assembly and in white papers at electronic conventions are the difficulty in ramping temps (some are better than others); shadowing caused by high profile components on PCB's; and if the IR preheat grid is very large it can make working on small PCB's very uncomfortable for the technician (this is a very common complaint). Still another great disadvantage to IR preheaters is that they can not ever truly be "temperature controlled" without the technician having to always pre-assemble an external thermocouple into every board before working on it. And that's a continuous hassle and headache replete with quality pitfalls and problems with inconsistent results. There are more, but these are some of the key setbacks.

The Picture Tells the Story:
A Comparison of Two Popular PCB Preheating Methods

3.) NASA & JPL: 'IR Preheaters Are Risky': Addressing the critical preheating process during rework of plastic and other heat sensitive components in their 49-page published report, two JPL engineers, Dr. Rajenshuni Ramesham and Dr. R. David Gerke, wrote "Hot plates and infrared preheaters are not recommended for this type of rework. The reason that they should not be used is that the thermal reaction times, energy transfer rates and efficiency are never consistent. However, they can be used for large metal and ground-plane boards in limited applications, e.g., where the size of the board matches that of the preheater in area." Continuing and also citing the late William Scheu, the authors pointed out the superiority of preheating by bottom-side forced convection systems. Moreover, the NASA Survey by JPL spotlighted still more of the deficiencies of IR preheating devices: "They have little capacity to ramp and soak to perform properly engineered repair scenarios or to support the creation and application of complicated thermal profiles. They also are limited in their ability to preheat beyond the physical dimensions of the heating surface. Hot-air preheating can be ramped, soaked and, on some systems, synchronized with the reflow process, permitting duplication of the actual profile used in manufacturing the assemblies. BGAs and photoelectrical parts are sensitive to higher temperatures and any attempt to preheat with marginally controllable sources is risky." ---' NASA & JPL: Survey of Rework Methods & Equipment for Various Packaging Technologies." -- August 2005.

Forced Convection Preheat, The AirBath™: The market has long spoken with regards to the distinct advantages and superiority of a warm air bath in the pre-heating process. Forced convection completely disregards the topography (or bottomography) of the PCB, allowing immediate, direct access of the warm air into all of the nooks and crannies of the PCB assembly. And much like the newer, popular forced convection commercial ovens, the circulating warmed air is far more effective than static warm air.

Post-Cooling™ By The AirBath™: Further, an another clear advantage of a Zephyrtronics AirBath™ is that with the flip of a switch the unit immediately becomes a post-cooler™ cooling down your PCB and its components and most importantly, your solder joints. Post-Cooling™ is essential to any soldering of BGA's because hot air nozzles must not be lifted from above the BGA until all the balled joints have cooled so as not to cause unwanted bridging. It's important to point out the obvious: hot plates, static ovens and IR plates do not provide the critical post-cooling™ feature standard on every Zephyrtronics AirBath™. Again, our engineers introduced the concept of post-cooling™ to the benchtop clear back in 1994.

Typically, our AirBaths™ can cool BGA's after reflow within only 8 second permitting the hot air nozzle to be lifted without fear of bridging. Without post-cooling™ the technician has to wait for the ball/pad interface to solidify completely before lifting the nozzle to inspect or to move on to another chip. The Post-Cooling™ feature remedies this problem allowing rapid lifting of your hot air nozzles from over the BGA after soldering.

The Post-Cooling™ Mode of the AirBath™ Cools Down BGA's After Soldering Within 8 Seconds Allowing Quicker Lifting Hot Air Nozzles Preventing Bridging.

Zephyrtronics Led and Leads the World in Preheating PCB's: Judged "Best New Product of the Year" and winner of the prestigious "Vision Award" at the Surface Mount International Expo in Silicon Valley in 1996 for its milestone contribution to the global production of printed circuit cards , Zephyrtronics' AirBath™ was recognized and spotlighted by SMT Magazine in 1997 as a "safer and simpler method for removing and repairing sensitive devices."

True, our AirBaths™ have inspired a lot of cheesy imitations which are little more than hair dryers in a box, but that aside, we are still the pioneers and understand the thermodynamics of preheating better than anyone else. Our AirBaths™ are the intelligent solution to stop burning up your printed circuit board assemblies by preventing thermal degradation, thermal shock, lifting pads & traces, substrate delamination, measling and warping of your boards.

It is no wonder that for over fifteen years now, Zephyrtronics AirBaths™ have become the pre-heater of choice of nearly every major aerospace and semiconductor manufacturers. It is the single tool that belongs on every bench. We have an AirBath™ for you.

The ZT-HIS-DPU Digital AirBath™, Established the Standard for Preheating. Suprisingly Compact in Footprint, It Delivers 25CFM (710 Liters/Minute) and 800 Watts of Pre-heat Power.

Fully MIL-Spec Compliant and Approved for Space Applications!

TECHNICAL DATA & SPECS

Models:
ZT-1-HIS-DPU-120: 120 VAC (U.S., Canada & Mexico) Digital Model
ZT-1-HIS-DPU-230: 230 VAC International Digital Mode
ZT-1-HIS-MIL-120: 120 VAC (U.S., Canada & Mexico) Analog Model

Other: (All Models)
Power: 800 Watts
Electrical Construction: 3-Wire Input with Earth Safety Ground
  W x H x D: 12" x 4.5" x 7.2" (30 cm x 11 cm x 18 cm)
Weight:   5.3 lbs (2.41 Kg)
  Air Volume:   25CFM or 710 Liters/Minute
  Temperature Modes:   Preheating & Cooling from AirCone™
  Preheat Temp Range: Ambient (Room Temp) to 205°C (400°F)
Preheat Ramp Rate:   2-4° C per second
Cooling Temp: Ambient (Room Temp)
Temperature Stability:   ± 3°C (± 5 °F) at Idle.
Absolute Temperature Stability:   Meets or Exceeds ANSI-J-STD
Air Supply:  Self-Contained Internal Supply (No Air Hookups)
Construction:   All Metal ESD Safe Construction
Warranty:   One Year Limited Warranty Parts & Labor
Recommended:   Use With ABC Series of Board Cradles / Fixtures

FEATURES & BENEFITS

The Preheating System Used By Boeing on International Space Station
Prevents Thermal Shock of Components
Permits Lower Soldering & DeSoldering Reflow Temperatures
Ideal for the Heaviest PCB's & Lead-Free Applications
Helps Prevent Warping Substrates & Damaging Pads
Superior Forced Convection Preheating
800 Watts of Preheat Power
Powerful 25 CFM (710 Liters/Minute) Air Volume
Digital & Analog Models
Illuminated Indicator Lights. Pre-Heating: Red. Cooling: Blue.
Analog Preheating Model: Dual Settings 100°C & 150°C
Digital Preheating Model: Variable Temp From Room Temp to 205°C
Preheating Ramp Rate at Industry Standard 2°-4°C Per Second
Self-Contained (No Air Hook-Ups Required)
Small, Compact Construction Respects Bench Top Space
One Year Limited Warranty Parts & Labor
ESD Safe Each Unit is Calibrated at the Zephyrtronics California Factory

ZT-1-HIS ANALOG & DIGITAL AIRBATH PREHEATERS
Description		Model	Price	Buy Now
	DIGITAL AIRBATH PREHEATING SYSTEM 25 CFM Air Power 800 Watt Power	ZT-1-HIS-DPU-120 (120 Volt for the U.S., Canada & Mexico)	$1,395
		ZT-1-HIS-DPU-230 (230 Volt For All Int'l Customers)	$1,395
	ANALOG AIRBATH PREHEATING SYSTEM 25 CFM Air Power 800 Watt Power	ZT-1-HIS-MIL-120 (120 Volt for the U.S., Canada & Mexico)	$999

ABC SERIES OF ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLES
DESCRIPTION		ITEM #	PRICE	BUY NOW
	ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE 3-RAIL (10” X 18” MAX)	ABC-1	$195
	ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE 3-RAIL (20” X 18” MAX)	ABC-2	$235
	ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE QUATRO (10” X 18” MAX)	ABC-1-Q	$235
	ADJUSTABLE BOARD CRADLE QUATRO (20” X 18” MAX)	ABC-2-Q	$275

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES
DESCRIPTION	ITEM #	PRICE	BUY NOW
EXTRA/REPLACEMENT POSTS (SET OF 4) 2-POST AND 8-POST POSITIONING (8 POSTS ALLOW PCB INSIDE OF ABC TO BE FLIPPED UP & DOWN DURING THRU-HOLE DESOLDERING)	ABC-LG	$49.85
“Z” HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT POSTS (SET OF 4)	ABC-ZP	$100.00

©1996-2009 Ameritronics®. All rights reserved. The information you receive online from Ameritronics® is protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The copyright laws prohibit any copying, redistributing, retransmitting, or repurposing of any copyright-protected material. Ameritronics® is the registered trademark property of JTI, Inc. "Zephyrtronics" and "Zephlux" and "ZeroLead" and "Zero Balling" and "Zero Residue" and "Post Cooling" and "PostCooler" and "AirBath" and "Quatro" and "Full Metal Jacket" are the protected trademark property of JTI, Inc.

SMD Rework, SMT Rework
AirBath, SMD Rework Stations, Hot Air Pencil Soldering, BGA Rework Stations, CSP Rework Stations, Preheating Systems, PCB Preheaters, Pre-Heat SMT / SMD, Low Temp Rework, SMT DeSoldering Tools, Vacuum Pickup Tools, Circuit Board Holders, PCB Fixtures, Board Cradles, Rework Solder Paste, No-Clean Solder Paste, Low Melt® De-Solder Wire, DeSolder Wire, Hot Air Rework Stations, Fume Extractors, SMT Dental Probes, SMT-SMD Rework Kit, BGA Rework Kit, LMK Kit, BGA Re-Balling Kit, SMD Tweezers, Power Palm Plunger

How To - SMT, CSP, BGA Rework
How To - BGA Alignment: How To - SMT Rework: How To - PCB Preheating, How To - BGA & CSP Rework: How To - Quickly Solder SMD Packages Effectively: How To - CSP Alignment; How To - Lead-Free Rework; How To - SMD Removal Economical; How To - SMD Removal Professional: How To - Hot Air Pencil / AirPencil Soldering; How To - SMD Quick Chip Removal; How To - BGA Re-Balling; How To - Rework PLCC - QFP, QFN, LCC, SOIC, Sub Shielded SMD, TSOP: How To - Solder & Rework Ceramic Capacitors: How To - Solder & Rework Glass Diodes

Soldering, De-Soldering
Soldering Accessories, Solder Wire, No-Clean Solder Wire, Eutectic Solder Wire, Solder Wire Dispenser, Solder Paste, Lead-Free Solder Paste, Flux, Solder Paste Dispensers, LowMelt® DeSolder Wire, De-Solder Wire, Soldering Irons, Digital Soldering Station, Digital De-Soldering, MIL-Spec Soldering Station: ESD Soldering Station, Soldering Tips, Thru-Hole DeSoldering Tools, Desoldering Tip, Tips for Desoldering, De-Solder Wick, Smoke Extractors, Fume Extractor Filters, Carbon Activated Filters, SolderMill™, Pre-Heating Systems, Preheat Thru-Hole, PCB Pre-Heating, Flux Solvent, How To - Connector Rework; How To - PC/104 Soldering and Rework; How To - Thru-Hole / Through Hole Desolder / De-Solder; How To - Low Melt® Desolder Wire; How To- Stop Lifting Pads; How To- Desolder / De-Solder Heavy Ground Planes; How To - Lead-Free Soldering and De-Soldering; Preheaters for Lead-Free Rework and Soldering

Dispensing
Dispensing Systems, Dispensing Syringes, Dispensing Barrels, Tapered Tips, Blunt Needles, Stainless Steel Needles, Dispensing Needles, Industrial Needles, Dispensing Tips, Dispensing Accessories, Solder Paste in Syringe, Lead-Free Solder Paste in Syringe, Paste Rack™ Solder Paste Holder, Dispensing Supplies, Power Palm Plunger, Manual Dispensing, Automatic Dispensing

Benchtop Accessories, Bench Supplies, Benchtop Tools
SMD Solder Paste, Lead-Free Solder Paste, Solder Wire, LowMelt®, No-Clean Flux, BGA Flux, Rework Tack Flux, Non-Flammable Flux Remover, Inspection Equipment, Magnification Equipment, Magnifying Work Light, ESD Magnifier, Pen Vac, SMT Tweezers, Fume Extraction, SMD Tweezers, PC Board Fixtures, Hot Air Tips, AirTips, Replacement Soldering Sponges, Iron Plated Soldering Tips, Art Conservation Hot Air Tools, Foam Swabs, Anti-Static Foam Swabs, Thru-Hole Brushes, LMK Rework Kits