About Antom Co., Ltd.’s energy-saving efforts

As part of our business activities, our company (Antom Co., Ltd.) is actively working to achieve energy savings by downsizing equipment.
 
Because reflow furnaces and heating furnaces use heat, their power consumption is higher than that of general equipment.
 
In addition, as the supply of nitrogen has become common due to lead-free soldering, many sites are worried about the increase in running costs due to the use of nitrogen.
 
Therefore, we have made it a theme that we should work on as a company to realize energy saving such as suppressing power consumption at startup and greatly reducing nitrogen usage by thoroughly miniaturizing the reflow furnace and heating furnace that we provide.
 

 

Realization of energy saving by start-up power control mechanism

When equipment is started up using the start-up power reduction mechanism (equipped as standard on all models), power consumption can be reduced to about two-thirds of the normal start-up time.
 
This allows us to reduce the maximum amount of electricity used, allowing us to use equipment within the contracted power range of the factory.
 

Realization of energy saving by significantly reducing the amount of nitrogen used

In terms of nitrogen usage, the nitrogen flow required to achieve an oxygen concentration of 200ppm in the furnace can be reduced to 150L/min or less.
 
Since the amount of continuous nitrogen used has a large impact on monthly running costs, reducing the flow rate of nitrogen used in equipment not only saves energy and is environmentally friendly, but also greatly contributes to cost reductions in the factory. Is possible.
 

Realization of energy saving by start-up power control mechanism

Some models of our reflow furnaces and heating furnaces can be set up to 350°C, and the upper limit of the set temperature tends to be higher than that of general reflow furnaces and heating furnaces.
 
Therefore, in order to prevent the outer skin temperature of the equipment from rising, we strengthened the insulation structure so that the outer skin temperature remains below 50°C even when all zones are set to 350°C.
 

 
The above thermograph data was measured with the UNI-6116S, which has the highest temperature setting (350°C setting) in our lineup, when all zones were set to 350°C.
 
Even when all zones are set to 350°C, the outer panel temperature can be kept to 50°C or less, so the equipment can be used without imposing a burden on the workers or air-conditioning equipment in the factory.
 

Realization of energy saving by significantly shortening the model switching (temperature change) time

In general, when switching models (temperature changes) in reflow or heating furnaces, it often takes time to change from a high temperature to a low temperature.
 
I’ve also heard of cases where the hood of the reflow furnace or heating furnace is fully opened to force the temperature to drop as quickly as possible.
 
However, opening the hood while the reflow furnace or heating furnace is in operation poses a risk of burns, etc., and hot air is sent into the furnace all at once, which puts a heavy burden on the electrical parts of the equipment. In the worst case, the equipment may be damaged.
 
Our compact reflow furnaces and heating furnaces use a heating structure designed to significantly reduce the time required to change models (temperature changes). It is possible to reach the desired temperature setting in an hour.
 
The temperature setting below is the temperature setting of the lead-free profile as a reference, and it is easy to understand.
 

 
The model used for this measurement is the SOL-8130, which is the model with the longest total length and the largest number of zones in our lineup. You can expect it to be shortened.
 
Click here for detailed information on SOL-8130.

Medium-sized reflow furnace (heating furnace) N2 compatible compact model [SOL-8130N]

 
As a result, it is possible to reduce wasteful power usage time, so production can be carried out efficiently.
 

Aiming to contribute to the realization of decarbonization (carbon neutrality) through energy conservation

The more electricity you use (power consumption), the more carbon dioxide (CO2) you emit.
 
We are a pioneer in small reflow furnaces and small heating furnaces because reducing the power consumption of reflow furnaces and heating furnaces, which consume a particularly large amount of power among production equipment, can also contribute to the realization of decarbonization (carbon neutrality). It is no exaggeration to say that this is our company’s mission.
 
We aim to contribute to the realization of decarbonization by developing and providing energy-saving equipment that reduces power consumption by further promoting the miniaturization of reflow and heating furnaces.
 

Antom Co., Ltd. has been certified by Yokohama City’s SDGs certification system “Y-SDGs”.

(Updated April 10, 2023)
This time, Antom Co., Ltd. has endorsed the activities of “Y-SDGs”, which is the Yokohama City SDGs certification system established by Yokohama City, and has been certified as a standard in recognition of its efforts.
We will continue to work to achieve the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) through our corporate activities.