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 It is, however, crucial that the use of nitrogen is optimized in order to minimize costs and ensure the highest level of quality of the PCBs soldered. A non-optimized inert soldering process will increase costs and lead to lower-than-average results which may, in fact, be inferior to standard air processes.

• The CON2SULTANT™ Program

AIR LIQUIDE has developed the CON2SULTANT™ Program to assist PCB manufacturers to optimize their nitrogen process. In collaboration with key customers and leading equipment and material suppliers, AIR LIQUIDE developed a unique program that :

Profiles, evaluates, and tests your equipment (assuring the right O2 PPM for each zone)

Inspects and adjusts process units, including N2 flow, O2 analyzer calibration, atmosphere and fan balancing, hardware leak detection, and air ingress verification

Develops a nitrogen usage model in relationship the specifics of your process and products

Oversees system start-up

Provides periodic system audits
As a customer of the CON2SULTANT™ Program, you will be assigned a dedicated and experienced Electronics Industry Engineer. At a scheduled time, our Engineer will visit your plant with the appropriate analyzers and equipment and work with your designated personnel to profile, inspect and optimize oxygen levels in your soldering equipment (a task often overlooked which can lead to mediocre production while becoming costly through nitrogen overuse).

At the end of the evaluation, a nitrogen use model or ‘recipe’ for reflow soldering will be developed based on your process complexity and specifications. The model will define when to use nitrogen in your system and when it is not justified. A final report will include the model for your reference, as well as details of the work performed along with other process recommendations. AIR LIQUIDE’s goal is to help you achieve higher yields, increased reliability, decreased rework and optimize your nitrogen consumption.

• A convenient program with periodic audits

The CON2SULTANT™ Program is a complete package that includes technical assistance, process review, audit, start-up, and training by experienced AIR LIQUIDE personnel. The program is essential at the start-up of any nitrogen process and a periodic audit performed every six months assures you that nitrogen use is optimized, relative to equipment or process variation.

Whether you want to evaluate the use of nitrogen on a particular product or process, or you simply want to ensure that your current nitrogen soldering process is optimized, AIR LIQUIDE’s CON2SULTANT™ Program is the solution for you. For more information on the CON2SULTANT™ Program, please contact us.