Printed circuits board soldering apparatus

Claim 1

In an apparatus for soldering printed circuit panels comprising a sump and return passages leading to the sump for molten solder, means for supplying heat to maintain the solder in the system at a desired temperature, a solder immersion chamber defined by upper and lower guide means and two pairs of rolls, the rolls functioning to convey the printed circuit panels horizontally through the chamber, each roll pair including an upper roll and a lower roll, the guide means being parallel to the rolls, the improvement wherein means are provided for flooding the solder chamber from below and providing flow of solder around wide panels passing through the chamber to fully and uniformly coat both sides of the panels, the means for flooding the solder chamber including the lower guide means positioned close to the lower rolls to minimize solder leakage, means adjacent the ends of the rolls for further enclosing the solder chamber, an opening in the lower guide means parallel to the rolls, a manifold parallel to and below the solder chamber and communicating with the opening in the lower guide means, means for pumping solder from the sump into the manifold to flood the solder chamber through said opening, means for flowing solder leakage from the chamber to the return passages, and separate means to provide a solder flow path around the edges of wide panels in the chamber to maintain the chamber full, whereby printed circuit panels conveyed by the rolls through the solder chamber are quickly and efficiently soldered.