Laser-assisted welding equipment and solder deposition machine

Abstract

This invention provides a laser-assisted welding device and a solder deposition machine. The laser-assisted welding device (20) includes: a solder spraying section (10) having a solder body holding capillary (17) for holding a solder body (27) liquefied by a laser beam (7); and a laser coupling unit (1) including a body (2) having a laser path (3) extending longitudinally through the body. An optical window (6) transparent to the laser beam is provided on the side of the laser inlet (4), and a fastening part (8) fastened to the laser-assisted welding device is provided on the side of the laser outlet (5). A pressurized gas supply passage (11) is connected to the laser path. The laser path is connected to and aligned with the solder body holding capillary. The solder spraying section (10) is provided with a pressurized gas supply passage (18) connected to the solder body holding capillary.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a laser-assisted welding apparatus, comprising: a solder spraying section having a solder body holding capillary for holding a solder body to be liquefied by a laser beam; and a laser coupling unit for coupling the laser beam to the laser-assisted welding apparatus. Furthermore, this disclosure relates to a solder deposition machine. Background Technology

[0002] Apparatus for applying solder bodies (i.e., solder balls) is well known in the art. In this context, reference is made, for example, to US 10,286,470 B2. This document discloses an apparatus for individually applying solder deposits. In such an apparatus, a capillary is typically filled with individual solder balls, and the solder balls melt from the capillary and are individually applied to the corresponding electronic component to be manufactured. Pressurized gas is typically used to propel the solder balls into the capillary.

[0003] However, it has been shown that during the melting of the solder body in the capillary and during the deposition of the liquefied solder body onto the electronic component, contaminant flows may flow against the direction of laser beam supply within the capillary, correspondingly moving away from the electronic component to be soldered. Contaminants containing fumes, solder spatter, and particulate matter may deposit on components closer to the laser source, such as on windows located at the laser path inlet of the device. This, in turn, negatively impacts the efficiency of the heating process of the solder body using the laser beam. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to minimize the maintenance work of equipment that uses a laser beam to apply solder.

[0005] This objective is achieved by the laser-assisted welding equipment and the solder deposition machine according to the invention.

[0006] This disclosure discloses a laser-assisted welding apparatus, comprising: a solder spraying section having a solder body holding capillary for holding a solder body to be liquefied by a laser beam; and a laser coupling unit for coupling the laser beam to the laser-assisted welding apparatus. The laser coupling unit includes a body having a laser path extending longitudinally from the laser inlet through the body to a laser outlet. An optical window transparent to the laser beam is disposed on the side of the laser inlet, and a fastening portion fastened to the laser-assisted welding apparatus is disposed on the side of the laser outlet. A (first) pressurized gas supply passage is connected to the laser path at a connection point located between the window and the fastening portion. The laser path of the laser coupling unit is connected to and aligned with the solder body holding capillary. This results in a compact, highly efficient, and controllable device. Preferably, the device is designed as a robotic processing head.

[0007] Furthermore, the solder spraying section is provided with a (second) pressurized gas supply passage, which is connected to the solder body holding capillary at the connection point between the laser outlet and the nozzle of the solder body holding capillary. This cleverly improves the specific control of the solder spraying section.

[0008] Therefore, by using the laser coupling unit in the laser-assisted welding apparatus, an additional pressure port is provided to generate an additional pressurized airflow that flows in the opposite direction to the contamination flow. This prevents residue from depositing on the window during laser operation and welding. The window's lifespan is increased, and the continuously increasing optical loss due to increased contamination on the window surface is avoided or at least significantly slowed down.

[0009] According to one aspect of this disclosure regarding the device, the (first) pressurized gas supply passage of the laser coupling unit and the (second) pressurized gas supply passage of the solder spraying section are connected to a common pressurized gas reservoir. This helps to further reduce the complexity of the device.

[0010] According to another aspect of this disclosure regarding the device, the (first) pressurized gas supply passage of the laser coupling unit is connected to a pressurized gas reservoir that is different from the (second) pressurized gas supply passage of the solder spraying section. This allows for improved control of the device.

[0011] According to one aspect of this disclosure regarding the device, a first pressurized gas reservoir connected to the (first) pressurized gas supply passage of the laser coupling unit has the same or higher pressure as a second pressurized gas reservoir connected to the (second) pressurized gas supply passage of the solder spraying section. This also helps to prevent contaminants from flowing to the window of the laser coupling unit.

[0012] According to aspects of this disclosure, the body is tubular. As a result, the laser coupling unit has a compact form that allows for space-saving arrangement on the device.

[0013] According to another aspect of this disclosure, the outlet of the pressurized gas supply passage points towards the laser outlet. This makes the design more compact.

[0014] According to another aspect of this disclosure, the (first) pressurized gas supply passage extends linearly and at an acute angle to the laser passage. This allows the corresponding conduit to be fixed toward the pressurized gas reservoir in a space-saving manner.

[0015] According to another aspect of this disclosure, the (first) pressurized gas supply passage extends linearly and perpendicularly to the laser passage. This allows for a compact design of the body in its longitudinal direction.

[0016] According to another aspect of this disclosure, advantageously, the laser path extends entirely linearly / straight through the entire body. This helps to keep the structure of the body as simple as possible, and thus simplifies the manufacturing process.

[0017] According to an aspect of this disclosure, the body includes a body portion having the fastening portion and a window body portion for holding the window. Preferably, the window body portion (more preferably releasably) is attached to the body portion on a side opposite to the fastening portion. This further reduces manufacturing work.

[0018] In this respect, another aspect of this disclosure is that the window body portion is attached to the body portion via a threaded connector. Preferably, the window body portion has a threaded portion that screws into the internal thread of the body portion. This also reduces maintenance work.

[0019] According to an aspect of this disclosure, the body includes a pressure gas connection body portion for supplying pressurized gas to the (first) pressure gas supply passage, and wherein the pressure gas connection body portion is preferably releasably engaged with the body. This facilitates connection to a pipeline toward a pressurized gas source.

[0020] According to aspects of this disclosure, the fastening portion is formed as a threaded socket. This allows for simple and quick installation of the laser coupling unit on a laser-assisted welding device.

[0021] Furthermore, this disclosure discloses a solder deposition machine including a laser-assisted welding apparatus according to any of the foregoing aspects and a laser generating device arranged and configured to generate a laser beam for emission within the laser path. Attached Figure Description

[0022] In the following description, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 A longitudinal cross-sectional view of a laser coupling unit according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein the (first) pressurized gas supply passage extends linearly and at an acute angle to the laser passage of the tubular body of the laser coupling unit.

[0024] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 A perspective view of the laser coupling unit.

[0025] Figure 3 A perspective view of a laser-assisted welding apparatus is shown, including the solder spraying section and Figure 1 and Figure 2 The laser coupling unit,

[0026] Figure 4 A perspective view of a laser coupling unit according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein (first) a pressurized gas supply passage extends linearly and perpendicularly to the laser passage of the tubular body.

[0027] Figure 5 It shows Figure 3 The cross-sectional view of the equipment has a simplified representation of the solder spraying section, but includes additional components that form the solder deposition machine.

[0028] Wherein: 1-Laser coupling unit; 2-Main body; 3-Laser path; 4-Laser inlet; 5-Laser outlet; 6-Window; 7-Laser beam; 8-Fastening part; 9-Outer shell; 10-Solder spraying part; 11-First pressurized gas supply path; 12-Connection point of the first pressurized gas supply path; 13-Main body; 14-Window main body; 15-Threaded connector; 16-Pressure gas connection main body; 17-Solder body holding capillary; 18-Second pressurized gas supply path; 19a 19b - First pressurized gas reservoir; 20 - Second pressurized gas reservoir; 21 - Laser-assisted welding equipment; 22 - Solder deposition machine; 23 - Electronic component; 24 - Laser generating device; 25 - Extended plane; 26 - Pressurized gas arrangement; 27 - Opening; 28 - Solid solder body; 29 - Movable component; 30 - External thread; 31a - Pipe; 31b - Pipe; 32 - Threaded portion; 33 - Connection point of the second pressurized gas supply passage; 34 - Nozzle; 35 - Main passage. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The accompanying drawings are merely illustrative in nature and are intended only for the purpose of understanding this disclosure. For example, regarding... Figure 5 It should be noted that, for simplicity, several “paths” are shown as being located on the same cross-section of the laser-assisted welding apparatus, but these “paths” may actually be located on different cross-sections of the laser-assisted welding apparatus. Furthermore, identical components are numbered using the same reference numerals.

[0030] about Figure 3 and Figure 5 Laser-assisted soldering equipment 20 for soldering electronic components 22 (such as circuit boards) can be seen. Equipment 20 is configured as a machine head / joint head. Therefore, a preferred application area for equipment 20 is solder deposition machines 21, such as... Figure 5 As shown in the simplified diagram.

[0031] The solder deposition machine 21 includes, in particular, a laser generating device 23 configured to generate a laser beam 7. Furthermore, the solder deposition machine 21 includes a robotic system for moving the machine 20 and controlling the laser beam 7 generated by the laser generating device 23 during operation. Additionally, as described in more detail below, pressurized gas reservoirs 19a and 19b are provided for pressurizing the different pressurized gas supply passages (first pressurized gas supply passage 11 and second pressurized gas supply passage 18) of the machine 20.

[0032] exist Figure 5 In the image, the electronic component 22 to be soldered can also be seen. This electronic component 22 preferably represents a through-hole device via a soldering retaining pin.

[0033] As from Figure 5 Furthermore, it can be seen that the device 20 solders electronic components 22 using solder body 27, which is, for example, in the form of solder balls and is also referred to as a preform. This solder body 27 is liquefied and sprayed using the solder spraying section 10 of the device 20. For this reason, the solder spraying section 10 includes a solder body holding capillary 17, hereinafter simply referred to as capillary 17. This capillary 17 has a main passage 35 that extends (preferably) in a straight line through the housing 9 of the solder spraying section 10. Figure 3 It can also be seen that the outer shell 9 has a basic plate-like design, and therefore extends along the imaginary plane 24 ( Figure 5 It extends in a basically flat manner. The capillary 17 is basically perpendicular to the plane of extension 24 and penetrates the outer shell 9.

[0034] like Figure 5 As can be further seen, the capillary 17 gradually tapers / narrows towards its opening 26 on the component 22 side. For this purpose, the capillary 17 is provided with a nozzle 34 that directly forms the opening 26. This nozzle 34 directly forms a passage / hole that gradually tapers / narrows towards the opening 26. The nozzle 34 is attached to the housing 9. Thus, the diameter of the opening 26 of the capillary 17 is smaller than the (minimum) diameter of the solid solder body 27 used to generate the liquefied solder body. As a result, the solid solder body 27 is held at a position where the diameter of the capillary 17 corresponds to the diameter of the solid solder body 27. The diameter of the spherical solid solder body 27 is preferably 500 μm or greater.

[0035] In order to spray the liquefied solder onto the solder joints on the component 22 to be soldered, pressurized gas is applied to the capillary 17 via the pressurized gas arrangement 25. For this purpose, an inert gas, such as nitrogen (N2), is preferably used.

[0036] The pressurized gas arrangement 25 includes a (second) pressurized gas supply passage 18, preferably coupled to a (second) pressurized gas reservoir 19b during operation. The second pressurized gas supply passage 18 extends at an acute angle relative to the capillary 17. The second pressurized gas supply passage 18 connects to the capillary 17 at a connection point 33 located between the laser outlet 5 (described in more detail below) of the laser coupling unit 1 and the nozzle 34. A first end of the second pressurized gas supply passage 18 opens towards the periphery of the housing 9, or during operation, couples to a conduit 31b leading to the (second) pressurized gas reservoir 19b. A second end of the second pressurized gas supply passage 18 leads to / connects to the capillary 17 / main passage 35.

[0037] The pressurized gas arrangement 25 pressurizes the solid solder body 27 into the capillary 17 by introducing gas into the second pressurized gas supply passage 18. In order to move the solder body 27 from the outside into the second pressurized gas supply passage 18, a movable element 28, such as a slide, pin, or rotatable disk, is moved accordingly so that the solid solder body 27 reaches the second pressurized gas supply passage 18.

[0038] Furthermore, the solder spraying section 10 interacts with the laser beam 7 generated in a conventional manner by the laser generating device 23. The laser beam 7 is supplied to the solid solder body 27 to produce liquefied solder. When the solid solder body 27 is liquefied, the liquefied solder body deforms due to the pressure inside the capillary 17, allowing it to leave the capillary 17 and be ejected from the capillary 17 toward the component 22.

[0039] To control and move the capillary 17 and control the laser beam 7, i.e., to control the power and duration of the laser beam 7 and the arrangement of the pressurized gas 25, the device 20 / solder deposition machine 21 includes control and drive units (not shown). The control unit is implemented by a computer including a CPU, memory, and input / output devices. The memory can store control programs executed by the CPU. The drive unit is implemented by electromechanical actuators for driving the capillary 17 and other devices of the device 20, such as holding devices (not shown) for holding the electronic components 22.

[0040] According to this disclosure, during operation of the device 20, the laser coupling unit 1 is disposed and attached to the housing 9 of the solder spraying section 10. Therefore, the laser coupling unit 1 is used to attach to the housing 9 and connect to the capillary 17 via its laser path 3.

[0041] exist Figure 1 and 2 The first embodiment of this laser coupling unit 1 is shown in detail below. The laser coupling unit 1 includes a tubular body 2. The body 2 has a longitudinal extension. The body 2 is provided with a laser path 3 that extends linearly through the entire body 2 (along the longitudinal extension).

[0042] The main body 2 / laser path 3 has a laser inlet 4 at the first end and a laser outlet 5 at the second end. An optical window 6 is provided at the laser inlet 4. This window 6 is made of a semi-transparent material relative to the laser beam 7 generated by the laser generating device 23, and can be made of glass or plastic.

[0043] At the laser exit 5, the main body 2 is provided with a fastening portion 8. This fastening portion 8 is formed as a threaded socket. Therefore, the fastening portion 8 preferably includes an external thread 29. In the assembled state of the device 20, the fastening portion 8 / external thread 29 is screwed into the internal thread 30 of the housing 9. The fastening portion 8 is positioned such that the laser passage 3 is concentrically arranged with the capillary 17 in the assembled state of the device 20.

[0044] According to this disclosure, another (first) pressurized gas supply passage 11 is provided in the laser coupling unit 1. For example... Figure 5 As shown, this first pressurized gas supply passage 11 is coupled to another (first) pressurized gas reservoir 19a during operation. The first pressurized gas reservoir 19a is separate / independent from the second pressurized gas reservoir 19b. However, it should be noted that in other embodiments, the two pressurized gas supply passages 11 and 18 may also be coupled to the same pressurized gas reservoir. However, preferably, the first pressurized gas supply passage 11 has the same or higher gas pressure than the second pressurized gas supply passage 18.

[0045] about Figure 1 It should also be noted that the first pressurized gas supply passage 11 extends in a straight line / linear fashion and at an acute angle to the laser passage 3. The first end of the first pressurized gas supply passage 11 leading to the periphery of the body 2 is substantially oriented towards the laser inlet 4. During operation, this first end is coupled to another conduit 31a leading to the (first) pressurized gas reservoir 19a.

[0046] In conjunction with this, it can also be seen that the first pressurized gas supply passage 11 includes a pressurized gas connection body portion 16 provided as a connecting sleeve. The pressurized gas connection body portion 16 forms a first end of the first pressurized gas supply passage 11 and is attached (via a threaded connector) to the body portion 13 of the body 2.

[0047] The first pressurized gas supply passage 11 (at its second end) is coupled to / leads to the laser passage 3 at the connection point 12 located between the fastening portion 8 and the window 6. In other words, the second end of the first pressurized gas supply passage 11 forms an outlet of the first pressurized gas supply passage 11 pointing to the laser outlet 5.

[0048] As can be further seen, the main body 2 has several parts. The main body part 13 of the main body 2 is directly provided with the fastening part 8 and forms at least a part of the laser path 3. In this main body part 13, there is a part of the first pressurized gas supply path 11, which is connected after the part of the pressurized gas connection main body part 16.

[0049] The window body portion 14 of the main body 2 is attached to the main body portion 13 opposite to the fastening portion 8. The window body portion 14 is connected to the main body portion 13 by means of a threaded connector 15l. The window body portion 14 forms the laser inlet 4 and holds the window 6. The window body portion 14 is designed as a socket and screws into the main body portion 13. In other words, the window portion 14 has a threaded portion 32 (external thread) that screws into the main body portion 13 (internal thread).

[0050] like Figure 4 As can be further seen in the second preferred embodiment of this disclosure, the first pressurized gas supply passage 11 may also be oriented perpendicular to the laser passage 3. Another structure and function of this second embodiment corresponds to the first embodiment.

[0051] Therefore, the laser coupling unit 1 is used to elongate the capillary 17 of the housing 9 toward the side opposite to the opening 26 / the electronic component 22 to be soldered. As a result, the window 6 is positioned further away from the opening 26, and thus further away from the electronic component 22 to be manufactured. By providing a first pressurized gas supply passage 11 in the laser coupling unit 1, another gas pressure inlet is provided, which helps to avoid contamination flow to the laser beam 7, thereby protecting the window 6 from contamination. Therefore, during the process of using the laser beam 7 to liquefy the solid solder body 27, the first pressurized gas supply passage 11 has a certain gas pressure, which helps to force the gas toward the opening 26 when the solder body 27 is sprayed onto the electronic component 22.

Claims

1. A laser-assisted soldering apparatus (20), comprising: a solder jetting portion (10) having a solder body holding capillary (17) for holding a solder body (27) to be liquefied by a laser beam (7); and a laser coupling unit (1) comprising a main body (2) having a laser channel (3) extending longitudinally through the main body (2) from a laser inlet (4) to a laser outlet (5), wherein an optical window (6) transparent to the laser beam (7) is arranged laterally of the laser inlet (4) and a fastening portion (8) of the laser-assisted soldering apparatus (20) is arranged laterally of the laser outlet (5), wherein a pressure gas supply channel (11) is connected to the laser channel (3) at a connection point (12) between the window (6) and the fastening portion (8), wherein the laser channel (3) is connected to and aligned with the solder body holding capillary (17), and wherein the solder jetting portion (10) is provided with a pressure gas supply channel (18) connected to the solder body holding capillary (17) at a connection point (33) between the laser outlet (5) and a nozzle (34) of the solder body holding capillary (17). The pressure gas supply channel (11) of the laser coupling unit (1) and the pressure gas supply channel (18) of the solder jetting portion (10) are connected to a common pressure gas reservoir.

2. The apparatus (20) of claim 1, wherein, The pressure gas supply channel (11) of the laser coupling unit (1) is connected to a different pressure gas reservoir (19a, 19b) than the pressure gas supply channel (18) of the solder jetting portion (10).

3. The apparatus (20) of claim 1, wherein, A first pressure gas reservoir (19a) connected to the pressure gas supply channel (11) of the laser coupling unit (1) has the same or a higher pressure than a second pressure gas reservoir (19b) connected to the pressure gas supply channel (18) of the solder jetting portion (10).

4. The apparatus (20) of claim 3, wherein, The main body (2) is tubular.

5. The apparatus (20) of claim 1, wherein, An outlet of the pressure gas supply channel (11) is directed towards the laser outlet (5).

6. The apparatus (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The pressure gas supply channel (11) extends linearly and at an acute angle to the laser channel (3).

7. The apparatus (20) of claim 6, wherein, The pressure gas supply channel (11) extends linearly and perpendicular to the laser channel (3).

8. The apparatus (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The main body (2) comprises a main body portion (13) provided with the fastening portion (8) and a window main body portion (14) holding the window (6).

9. The apparatus (20) according to claim 1 or 5, wherein The main body (2) comprises a pressure gas connection main body portion (16) for feeding pressure gas to the pressure gas supply channel (11), and wherein the pressure gas connection main body portion (16) is attached to the main body portion (13).

10. The apparatus (20) of claim 9, wherein, ​ 11. A solder depositing machine (21) comprising a device (20) according to claim 1 and a laser generating arrangement (23) arranged and configured for generating a laser beam (7) for emission inside the laser access (3).

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