An intelligent system for reflow oven temperature settings based on hybrid physics-machine learning model

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide the proper preset temperatures of the convection reflow oven when reflowing a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly with varied sizes of components simultaneously.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, computational fluid dynamics modeling is used to simulate the reflow soldering process. The training data provided to the machine learning (ML) model is generated from a programmed system based on the physics model. Support vector regression and an artificial neural network are used to validate the accuracy of ML models.

Findings

Integrated physical and ML models synergistically can accurately predict reflow profiles of solder joints and alleviate the expense of repeated trials. Using this system, the reflow oven temperature settings to achieve the desired reflow profile can be obtained at substantially reduced computation cost.

Practical implications

The prediction of the reflow profile subjected to varied temperature settings of the reflow oven is beneficial to process engineers when reflowing bulky components. The study of reflowing a new PCB assembly can be started at the early stage of board design with no need for a physical profiling board prototype.

Originality/value

This study provides a smart solution to determine the optimal preset temperatures of the reflow oven, which is usually relied on experience. The hybrid physics–ML model providing accurate prediction with the significantly reduced expense is used in this application for the first time.

Citation

Lai, Y., Pan, K., Cen, Y., Yang, J., Cai, C., Yin, P. and Park, S. (2022), "An intelligent system for reflow oven temperature settings based on hybrid physics-machine learning model", Soldering & Surface Mount Technology, Vol. 34 No. 5, pp. 266-276. https://doi.org/10.1108/SSMT-10-2021-0063