LITTLETON, MA – VJ Electronix and Apollo Seiko together have developed printed circuit board preheat to enhance the performance of robotic soldering.

VJ Electronix has customized its IR preheater series to fit within the Apollo Seiko system. The unit will operate with a pre-set power level, or with active temperature feedback from the board.

Preheating minimizes thermal stress in the PCB and reduces energy required for a localized soldering operation, the firms say.

“With the additional preheat, our customers are able to address many of the more difficult soldering challenges, such as thick and multilayer PCBs, embedded ground planes and large body components,” said Apollo Seiko technical specialist Rick Schifer. “As an integrated option with our L-CAT NEO and SCARA soldering systems, the use of automated preheat will ensure a robust and high-quality soldering process.”

No financial terms were disclosed.