Denny,
I will disagree strongly with your first statement. Vapor Phase reflow is f=
ar from inert. It was used from the seventies to the late eighties, and was=
 using boiling oil (peanuts oil) to create the vapor that melted the solder=
 paste. Was very hard to control properly,and prone to fires, so not inert =
at all..

Your last statement is correct. It was abandoned as soon as reflow ovens us=
ing first infra-red, and later convection IR were developed from mid eighti=
es on.

Jean-Paul
AC9GH


> On Mar 21, 2015, at 11:57 PM, Denny Esterline <desterline@gmail.com> wrot=
e:
>=20
> There's also "Vapor Phase Reflow" (vapour for our friends on the other si=
de
> of the pond) which is - by definition - done in an inert atmosphere.
>=20
> Seems to have fallen out of favor, haven't seen anybody doing it for a
> while now.
>=20
> -Denny
> --=20
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