A printed circuit board soldering process where a number of pockets containing solder are filled to overflowing with solder and then raised to immerse the terminals to be soldered. The solder pot and the pockets are protected by an atmosphere of hot inert gas introduced under a cover plate which has openings, corresponding to the location of the terminals, through which the pockets pass.
An electrically-controlled soldering pot apparatus with a timer control mechanism and a temperature control mechanism; a method of alerting a user when to exchange a solder bath of the apparatus before erosion to the solder bath occurs; and a method of varying the heating rate applied to a variety of lead-free solders in a solder bath housed in the apparatus.
A method and apparatus for separating a semiconductor device from a substrate in a fixture with a shearing element, wherein the semiconductor device is attached to the substrate by solder connections to form an assembly, includes using the shearing element to apply a loading force to the semiconductor device. The assembly of the substrate and the semiconductor device are loaded into the fixture with the shearing element proximate the semiconductor device, and heating the solder connections of the assembly in the fixture are heated proximate the substrate to a predetermined temperature by applying a heat source to a surface of the substrate distal from the semiconductor device.
