29 Jul 2022

Latest News, Technology George Kennedy 0 comment

The Micro Nozzle – How It Works and Its Advantages/Disadvantages – Technical Article

The Micro Nozzle – How It Works and Its Advantages/Disadvantages

What is the Micro Nozzle?

Pillarhouse’s patented 1.5mm Micro Nozzle is the result of over 20 years of research into how we could conquer the unique challenges of particularly small nozzle requirements in selective soldering. The first challenge was overcoming the fact that a small nozzle has little thermal energy. This is akin to touching a small soldering iron to an anvil when a PCB has high thermal mass.

Why Was the Micro Nozzle Necessary?

The method used prior to our patented Micro Nozzle to overcome particularly small nozzle requirements was to use a smaller standard nozzle design, and then superheat the solder with an extremely high tip flow rate. One of the issues with this approach is that the temperature has a much smaller effect on the resulting heat transfer than flow rate. It also creates a situation where the process is susceptible to copper dissolution because of elevated solder temperature and dwell times. Additionally, competitive solutions require an exaggerated flow rate at the tip to keep the solder from solidifying, so the advertised nozzle size is misrepresented, and the true contact area is much larger than the nozzle diameter would predict. Our solution is to provide a multi-section nozzle that enacts a solder flow rate internally equal to a nozzle 2.6 times as large with a resulting tip flow equal to a standard design nozzle. This means the heat of the solder is refreshing the energy in the tip at a high rate, but the PCB is not exposed to the unsteady and vigorous flow.

The next patent involves the wettability of the nozzle itself and the ability to solder without bridging. Typically, the smaller the nozzle, the more quickly it will de-wet. This is a function of exposure time of the solder to O2 but mainly due to the small nozzle having less wetted area than the PCB wetted area (pads and leads). The rule of thumb is the greatest wetted area wins when trying to avoid bridging. The patent provides a design including external features on the tip itself that multiplies the surface area, much like corrugated cardboard has a greater surface area than flat paper. The result is a particularly small nozzle that has a strong ability to de-bridge fine and ultra-fine pitch components with enough thermal energy to solder multi-layer PCBs without extended dwell times, exaggerated contact flow or extremely high solder temperatures.

Heat/Thermal Energy

What are the advantages and disadvantages of heated nitrogen?

Heated nitrogen raises the environment temperature around the solder nozzle requiring less energy to maintain temperature. As selective soldering nozzles do not have infinite thermal mass, this is important in reducing solder dwell times. Additionally, the heated nitrogen has an added benefit of locally heating a circuit board during the process which reduces the dwell times.

What are the advantages of heating nitrogen with a separate heat source?

Heating the nitrogen has diminishing returns once it exceeds the nozzle tip temperature. If the nitrogen provides energy to change the nozzle tip temperature it is competing with the control on the heat source for the solder. The solder heat source has no ability to reduce temperature. Heated nitrogen can become another process variable that needs process control. Additionally, if you ‘superheat’ the nitrogen you must be concerned about extended dwell times because it could potentially reflow SMT devices surrounding the target soldering area.

What are the main causes of copper dissolution solder temperature/dip time solder choice?

Alloy choice is particularly important in the copper dissolution scenario because lead free alloys have a propensity to aggressively leach copper from the PCB. The downside of using an alloy that causes less copper dissolution is that it usually wets slower, making the process more difficult. For instance, SAC305 causes higher rates of copper dissolution than SN100C but they are inverse in the dwell times required to solder, meaning extended dwell times and higher pot temperatures for the SN100C. The flow rate of the nozzle itself and the solder temperature/dwell time at contact also have a significant impact on copper dissolution.

Pump Control

There are different pump styles currently on the market, including:

Mixed flow flat blade impellor mechanical
Mixed flow impellor mechanical
Magnetic pump

Pillarhouse uses mixed flow flat blade impellor mechanical, and magnetic pumps. Mechanical pumps provide higher resolution and better pump deceleration control for de-bridging fine pitch and PCBs with poor lead length. Mechanical pumps are rebuildable and have only nominally more dross per shift than magnetic pumps. Magnetic pumps have good solder acceleration and recovery which is better for cycle time. There are no moving parts, the design is simple and has nominally less dross production than mechanical pumps.

The method of wave height control Pillarhouse employs is a contact pin which identifies the solder contact at a very high resolution by the shorting of a low voltage dc current. Pillarhouse have also used lasers that measure wave height, as part of previous projects.

Why Do Pillarhouse Use Thermal Calibration and What Is Its Advantage Over the Mechanical Method?

Thermal calibration is the single best process control in the Pillarhouse arsenal. The test confirms that not only is the XYZ working properly (contact out of place or wrong size otherwise), but it also shows that the nozzle is evenly wetted and the pump, solder level and wave height are in control. By using thermal calibration, a customer can take a programme off another Pillarhouse system, recalibrate, and know the system will work the same as the other machine without wasting product. Our belief is anyone can make a product work in a lab – the true test is when they have established a process and try the same product after six months with different nozzles and a new solder; can the system reproduce the same results? Without tests, we feel this is not possible.

To see Pillarhouse’s Micro Nozzle in action, please visit our official YouTube channel and watch here: Pillarhouse’s 1.5mm Micro Nozzle – YouTube

For more information about Pillarhouse’s soldering technologies, please visit: Soldering Technologies (pillarhouse.co.uk)

05 Jul 2022

Latest News George Kennedy 0 comment

Pillarhouse International Expanding Mexico Sales & Service Support Capabilities

pillarhouse mexico

Pillarhouse International is pleased to confirm an expansion of our sales and technical support capabilities in Mexico, with a continued dedication to improving our availability to customers across North and Central America by working in conjunction with Pillarhouse USA.

This increased commitment means that Pillarhouse Mexico now have three service engineers available on-site, online and by telephone during regular 8AM-5PM CDT working hours. Two of these service engineers are based in Guadalajara for customers in central and western Mexico, with a third service engineer based in Monterrey for customers in northern and eastern Mexico.

As well as increased service personnel, Pillarhouse International has three spare parts locations for customers across North and Central America, with one site in each of Guadalajara and Monterrey respectively, along with our main Pillarhouse USA facility in Chicago, USA.

Regarding our Mexican sales force, Pillarhouse International has a well-trained group of commercial representatives spread throughout the Mexican territory, helping potential customers get the best proposal for their selective soldering needs in terms of equipment selection and configuration, as well as process development.

Tomas Guitron, Pillarhouse Mexico Sales & Service Manager, spoke on this further by saying, “Pillarhouse Mexico has an extremely capable sales and technical support team ready to assist our customers across the country. In times where some big companies are finally realising the potential of the Mexican market, it is important that Pillarhouse International adapts to reflect their needs.”

Guitron continued explaining Pillarhouse Mexico’s evolution by saying, “We are demonstrating that adaptation by increasing our sales and service team here and developing new remote support tools to offer our customers various quick problem-solving options, using the latest technology available in video conferences software, safe information sharing and instant messaging applications.”

For more information on Pillarhouse International’s sales and technical support capabilities in Mexico and beyond, please visit After Sales – Pillarhouse International

30 Jun 2022

Latest News George Kennedy 0 comment

Pillarhouse Improves Pro-Active Engineering’s Production with Multi-Platform Selective Soldering

Pro-Active Engineering, a well-known leader in the PCB industry for over 26 years who guide customers through the complexities of design engineering, has chosen Pillarhouse International as their selective soldering process equipment provider and purchased an Orissa Fusion as part of their efforts to increase U.S. market share.

Offering many services, Pro-Active allows their customers to consolidate their manufacturing and engineering needs under a single roof, removing the headaches of managing multiple vendors and complex supply chains. Pro-Active’s approach of prioritising customer service ensures it has attentive and knowledgeable project managers committed to customer success.

Pro-Active has a principle of helping customers design, develop and bring their products to market fast. This high-level manufacturing criteria is precisely why Pro-Active chose Pillarhouse – for the innovative equipment and process expertise. In keeping with Pro-Active’s standards, they chose the Fusion for its high-speed PCB transfer, offering the ultimate in flexibility, to benefit the expansion of their production capabilities.

Process issues and comparative product quality of their previous wave and hand soldering operations prompted Pro-Active to review their relationship with selective soldering. The process features of Pillarhouse’s Fusion machine captivated Pro-Active and made their decision to invest simple. “Before we installed Pillarhouse’s platform, we were using a combination of traditional wave and hand solder techniques, plus a different model and style of selective solder machine,” said Paul Schwanbeck, Vice President, Pro-Active Engineering. “We needed a more cost-effective way of working and the Fusion platform presents us that opportunity and more.”

Schwanbeck continued, “Pillarhouse’s Fusion system was the standout machine in our search for a new selective soldering solution. We wanted to continue the increase in throughput of our selective solder process, while maintaining high quality and high control. With its reliable design for conveyor process, ability to keep the PCB assembly stationary, and the environmental control the multiple pre-heat provides, the Fusion facilitates our objectives superbly.”

After conducting extensive market research, Pro-Active felt the Fusion was the most technologically capable selective soldering system to meet their needs. “We reviewed other manufacturers and machines ahead of making a final decision,” adds Schwanbeck. “Once we saw the Fusion and its impressive features, we liked the fit much better than any other platform. Another key factor was Pillarhouse’s intricate level of support – their fast response to operational issues and their ability to log into the machine for troubleshooting are big positives about their machine and their customer service.”

This investment in Pillarhouse’s selective soldering technology sees Pro-Active eagerly anticipate the desired improvement in efficiency compared to their previous wave and hand soldering methods. “Pro-Active Engineering is extremely satisfied with its decision to purchase Pillarhouse’s Fusion machine,” concludes Schwanbeck. “Their process knowledge is valuable, and we are looking forward to applying the Pillarhouse machine on our new projects.”

Pillarhouse International and Pro-Active Engineering have developed a successful, well-grounded partnership.

For more information about Pro-Active Engineering, please visit Home – Pro-Active Engineering (proactivepcb.com)

24 May 2022

Latest News George Kennedy 0 comment

Pillarhouse China Opens New Facility

Pillarhouse China Opens New Facility to Enhance and Continue Domestic Growth

pillarhouse china

Pillarhouse International is delighted to confirm the successful opening of our new Pillarhouse China facility, following a relocation from the central Xiangcheng District of Suzhou to Weixi Road, Suzhou Industrial Park in the north of the city.

Remaining within Suzhou demonstrates Pillarhouse International’s continued commitment to the city where we have built our home in China for almost 20 years.

Darren Harvey, General Manager of Pillarhouse China stated, “We are very happy to finally welcome our customers to our brand new, state of the art facility, once again in Suzhou. This multi-purpose site will enable us to build on the success we have enjoyed in the Chinese market ever since our arrival over 15 years ago.”

Pillarhouse China was established in 2005 to provide customers in China and Taiwan world-leading selective soldering solutions, and to ensure Pillarhouse International’s dedication to developing a truly global identity.

Eastern Region Sales Manager Allan Jiang stated, “When Pillarhouse first looked into coming to China back in the 2000’s, our long-term goal was to one day open a first-class facility as impressive as our new site on Weixi Road, Suzhou Industrial Park. We’re looking forward to this new location helping us maintain the close business relationships we have made and enabling us to attract new customers looking for the best selective soldering equipment.”

Reflecting upon the journey that Pillarhouse China has undergone, South China & Taiwan Sales Manager Penny Zhang said, “Our primary role when we set up in the Xiangcheng district of Suzhou a decade ago, was to serve local customers and accumulate experience of the region to a point where we could develop into a fully functional sales team – and that is exactly what we did. Now we have expanded out to cover four major cities in each Chinese region – Dalian in the north, Suzhou in the east, Guangzhou in the south, and Chengdu in the west. We also have brilliant sales representatives in Taiwan. We are a strong, widespread operation.”

The new 5,600 square meter site will allow Pillarhouse China to vastly increase manufacturing and production capabilities. With two main buildings, the factory has full production lines, machine testing and finishing rooms, multifunctional meeting rooms, comprehensive stores and demo spaces, and a full Quality Assurance Department. This all-encompassing space will allow Pillarhouse China to accommodate visitors on business and hospitality, with offices, kitchens, and bathrooms rounding off the premises.

After Pillarhouse China gained a High Technology Certificate from the Chinese government in 2020, this relocation will help to continue the development of new technologies in the rapidly growing selective soldering industry, across both Pillarhouse’s China and UK offices.

“Thanks to the certificate, our products and services now fall within standards of excellence stipulated by Chinese manufacturing authorities. Our new location allows us to further embellish this status by setting up a Development Department to maintain these high standards. Only 25% of foreign companies in China have obtained this certificate and we are extremely proud of this verification”, said Darren Harvey.

Despite the need to continue growth and progression, leaving the factory in the Xiangcheng district of Suzhou was no easy decision, and it was only after extensive consideration that Darren Harvey decided to take Pillarhouse China’s facilities to the next level.

“While the old factory served us tremendously well for many years, the scale of our ambition compelled us to make this move. Suzhou Industrial Park is a hub for international economic and technological cooperation, acting as the talent pool and financial centre for the city. We simply could not miss the opportunity to be there.”

Darren Harvey continued by saying, “Our previous location was a huge factor in the growth and evolution of Pillarhouse China, but the time was right to target a facility with more flexibility and a greater scope of possibilities. We are extremely motivated at Pillarhouse China, and this investment shows our customers and the Chinese market that we are here to stay.”

29 Apr 2022

Latest News George Kennedy 0 comment

Pillarhouse USA Announces New Western Regional Sales Manager

sales manager

Pillarhouse International is pleased to announce the appointment of Deon Nungaray as Pillarhouse USA Western Regional Sales Manager, to spearhead sales and technical support efforts in west coast regions of the continental United States.

Adrian De’Ath, Vice President of Pillarhouse USA, Inc. stated “We are delighted to announce that Deon Nungaray has joined the Pillarhouse direct sales team. Deon has an extensive background in electronics manufacturing and has worked under various business environments including Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), Contract Manufacturers (CM), and consultant capacities, giving him a unique and knowledgeable perspective.”

Mr. Nungaray comes to Pillarhouse with over 25 years’ experience in the PCB manufacturing operations segment. Most recently, Mr. Nungaray was employed by MSA (an OEM CLASS 3 manufacturer of sensing and safety equipment) as Global Operational Excellence Automation Engineer. In this role, Deon fronted all operational excellence activities and was responsible for identifying, assessing, evaluating, and selecting all automation needs for various plants in US and EU factories.

In addition, Deon has an extensive experience working with start-up contract manufacturers and as a PCB manufacturing project consultant, he assisted multiple businesses in establishing automated operations including, but not limited to, SMT, AOI, wave soldering and conformal coating.

Speaking upon his arrival, Deon stated, “I am excited and looking forward to providing our existing customers, and indeed new customers, with highly customisable selective soldering solutions which will not only benefit their internal operations but will ensure a smooth transition from new product development and subsequently, into the hands of operation. I strongly believe that Pillarhouse offers the best-in-class solutions in the highly specialised selective soldering space.”

Deon believes his niche experience across manufacturing sectors will enable him to maintain the success Pillarhouse USA has enjoyed in recent years, proclaiming, “My objective is quite simply to bring the tools, depth of knowledge and support that will ultimately result in the continuation of value-added propositions and deal completions for each respective Pillarhouse customer.”

For more information on Deon Nungaray, please visit Deon Nungaray | LinkedIn

05 Apr 2022

Agents, Latest News George Kennedy 0 comment

Pillarhouse USA Announces Appointment of WittcoSales

Pillarhouse USA Announces Appointment of WittcoSales in Southern California, Southern Nevada, and Baja MX Regions

Pillarhouse International is delighted to announce the appointment of WittcoSales to lead sales efforts in the Southern California, Southern Nevada, and Baja Mexico regions.

Adrian De’Ath, Vice President of Pillarhouse USA, Inc. stated “We are thrilled to announce WittcoSales have joined the Pillarhouse sales representative team with an extensive background in the electronics manufacturing industry. We are confident that Wittco will be able to provide our customers first class sales and engineering support.”

WittcoSales was established in 1989 to provide a technical conduit between manufacturers of electronic production equipment and their intended market users. CEO Tom Wittmer stated “We are incredibly pleased and looking forward to offering Pillarhouse International within our strong brands of PCB assembly solutions. From entry-level, to highly customised complex systems, Pillarhouse International has a long pedigree of high quality and low cost of ownership selective soldering equipment.”

It was the competitive spirit between Pillarhouse and WittcoSales throughout previous partnerships that made President of Sales Todd Wittmer so keen to join the Pillarhouse USA team. He explains, “Our impressions of Pillarhouse have always been positive. We have always had great respect for Pillarhouse even though they were a competing line of our last partnership. When up against Pillarhouse head-to-head in previous ventures, the competition was always tough, so we are now excited to be playing for this championship team in Pillarhouse.”

Reflecting upon the targets WittcoSales wish to achieve with Pillarhouse USA, Todd affirmed, “We have one and only one objective. That is to provide our customers with the best solutions to assist their company’s production, growth, and success, while representing a quality principle that strives for and delivers product excellence and amazing customer support.”

As well as the shared objective for excellent customer service, Todd expanded upon the mutual benefits of the partnership and the relationship between WittcoSales and Pillarhouse so far by saying, “In the short time we have been partners we have been extremely impressed and satisfied with what Pillarhouse have offered. Our biggest mutual benefit has been our strong belief in the importance of customer satisfaction and our shared company culture.”

“Pillarhouse International is truly a class act and has very high standards of integrity, and this new partnership speaks to their belief in our culture, team, and reputation at WittcoSales. We have learnt the Pillarhouse product line, and we realise the amazing features, technology and team support that make Pillarhouse a company which stands out from the competition.”

For more information about WittcoSales, please visit Wittco Sales

To view WittcoSales within Pillarhouse International’s world agents listing, please visit: World Agents – Pillarhouse International

17 Feb 2021

Pillarhouse International and 2021

As we look back upon the trials and tribulations of 2020 with mixed emotions, we remember the extended members of the Pillarhouse organisation who lost their loved ones to the pandemic, and our thoughts are forever with their families. We must also give thanks, for the fighting spirit of our global team, which has seen us through some of the most challenging trading times in living memory.

With limited opportunities to travel and operate in a conventional manner during the last 12 months, Pillarhouse have used this time wisely, restructuring our UK production capability, expanding the sales and service team, and even introducing the new high end Synchrodex Pro modular selective soldering platform.
New remote sales and service working practises were developed and refined, even to the extent that from a service support level, we were able to provide full installation and training for advanced production lines at customer sites in Turkey & Vietnam, from the comfort of our Chelmsford Service & Technology centre.

In-line with our ongoing roadmap for growth and a continued improvement strategy, 2020 saw the appointment of a new UK based General Manager, plus the addition of a Quality Manager.

Throughout this time, production has continued virtually un-abated and although 2020 did not quite see the same continuation in year-on-year growth that we enjoyed over the previous 8 financial years, record sales revenues driven by our Asia powerbase in January, lead us to believe that 2021 will be another great year.

Hopefully, we will have the opportunity to meet up with some of our old friends, and others we are yet to meet at this year’s Productronica ’21 trade fair in Munich, Germany.

Nigel Monk
Managing Director, Pillarhouse International Ltd.

09 Apr 2020

Working With The Electronics Industry To Fight Covid-19

Pillarhouse Working With The Electronics Industry To Fight Covid-19

Pillarhouse International is pleased to be supplying Selective Soldering Systems to a number of key, UK-based, electronic equipment manufacturers to help in the battle to defeat Covid-19 (Coronavirus). This week they will deliver two new Jade Mk II and PillarGEN nitrogen systems to DVR Ltd and an additional PillarGEN nitrogen system to Jaltek Systems. Along with another Pillarhouse customer, Nemco Ltd, these companies are all helping in the manufacture of lifesaving ventilators.

Whilst Pillarhouse is currently operating greatly reduced staffing levels, due to the UK government’s isolation policy, these Selective Soldering Systems have been assembled and tested from scratch in less than 5 days. Managing Director, Nigel Monk, said “I believe that it is very important that Pillarhouse can help play an active role in helping tackle Covid-19”. He went on to say “I am immensely proud of our Pillarhouse employees, who stepped up and helped, get this equipment out so quickly”.

19 Feb 2020

Pillarhouse’s Simon Smith Receives IPC Award

Pillarhouse’s Simon Smith Receives Distinguished Committee Service Award for Contributions to IPC-2591 Connected Factory Exchange (CFX)

Pillarhouse International announces that Simon Smith, Marketing Manager, received a Special Recognition Award during the recent IPC APEX Expo. The award was presented during the IPC Awards Luncheon on Wednesday 5th February.

Simon accepted the award in recognition of his outstanding contributions towards the development of the IPC-2591 (CFX) standard. IPC-2591 is an electronics manufacturing industry developed standard forming the foundation/backbone of Industry 4.0 Applications. CFX simplifies and standardizes machine to machine communication while also facilitating machine to business/business to machine solutions.

Simon is currently responsible for worldwide marketing for Pillarhouse International. He has been with Pillarhouse for over 22 years with roles as Electronics Engineer, Software Developer, After Sales/Service Manager and Marketing Manager. He is also responsible for special project development.

09 Jan 2020

Agents, Latest News Simon Smith 0 comment

Pillarhouse USA announces appointment of EAP Sales

Global manufacturer and supplier of selective soldering systems, Pillarhouse USA, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of EAP, to spearhead sales efforts in Florida. Adrian De’Ath, Vice president for Pillarhouse USA Inc stated “we are thrilled to announce EAP have joined the Pillarhouse sales team, they bring years of sales experience to the table with a comprehensive background in electronics manufacturing, materials, process knowledge.”
Pillarhouse is a world leader in the design and manufacturing of selective soldering systems from hand-load (batch) processes to fully automated high-speed lines. Pillarhouse manufactures a wide range of modular and hand load equipment to fit the changing marketing market needs of today.
Electronic Assembly Products, Ltd. (EAP) was established in 2002 with a promise to provide solutions to your process challenges while receiving superior customer service, integrity and professionalism. John Johnson, President commented “Pillarhouse is recognized as a world leading supplier in the selective solder industry and we are very excited to represent them in the Florida market.”

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