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Whether coating drying, curing, tempering or burn-in: drying processes in the electronics industry are now far more than just a downstream production step. They play a decisive role in the reliability, service life and quality of electronic assemblies. Rehm Thermal Systems offers a broad range of product-specific drying and curing systems for these applications – from horizontal and vertical dryers to UV and magazine dryers, as well as reel-to-reel solutions. With the new RVDS vertical dryer, Rehm is expanding its portfolio with a particularly compact, flexible and high-performance system for modern electronics manufacturing.
Electronic assemblies perform key functions in safety-critical applications – from airbag systems in vehicles to sensors in aircraft or industrial control systems. To provide long-term protection against moisture, dust, corrosion, vibration and thermal stress, assemblies are often coated, encapsulated or potted and then reliably dried or cured.
The requirements for these processes are diverse: the product, coating material, solvent content, throughput and temperature-time profile determine the system design. Key factors include temperature homogeneity, reproducibility, energy efficiency and simple integration into existing production lines. Rehm Thermal Systems develops customized drying and curing systems that are precisely tailored to the product, process and production environment.
The portfolio ranges from horizontal and meander dryers to magazine dryers and UV systems, as well as reel-to-reel solutions for flexible substrates and compact vertical dryers. Especially where production space is limited, the vertical drying concept is becoming increasingly important: the vertical dryer makes use of the available room height and enables high process capacity with a minimal footprint.
The new RVDS vertical dryer from Rehm for reliable coating drying and curing of electronic assemblies
When drying processes need to be safe, reproducible and space-saving at the same time, Rehm’s vertical dryer is the ideal solution. The system has been developed for drying and curing a wide variety of assemblies and combines high process stability with an extremely compact design. Thanks to the vertical transport principle, valuable production space is saved without compromising on quality, temperature control or throughput.
Compact design for high performance
The new Rehm vertical dryer combines high thermal performance with an exceptionally small footprint. The system dimensions are approximately 2.5 m in width, 2.0 m in depth and 3.9 m in height. This makes the system especially suitable for production environments where floor space is limited and efficiency per square meter is crucial.
Designed for demanding assemblies
The system concept is designed for carrier sizes of 500 × 500 mm and can process products of up to 420 × 400 × 110 mm, with a product weight of around 3,000 g. This makes the vertical dryer suitable not only for conventional coated PCBs, but also for larger and more complex assemblies that need to be guided securely and tempered reproducibly.
Precise temperature control for stable results
The heating system operates according to the convection principle with circulating air. Several separately controllable heating zones allow the process to be precisely adapted to the coating application quantity, solvent throughput and product specification. Targeted airflow in the process towers ensures homogeneous heating of the assemblies and creates the basis for reproducible process sequences and high product quality. Separately controllable heating zones, individually adjustable supply and exhaust air, and an optional segmented cooling section ensure an optimal airflow concept within the process chamber.
Intelligent carrier and stacking concept
A central feature of the system is the vertical stacking principle. The products are transported on specially designed carriers. Centering spacer elements enable the carriers to be stacked safely and precisely. With up to 20 product carriers per stack, high capacity is achieved in a very compact system design.
Clean transport principle for sensitive electronics
Transport through the system is carried out via a vertical circulation and transfer system with defined lifting and transfer movements. The carriers in the process towers are stacked on top of each other and guided through the system by lift, longitudinal transport and transfer units. The result is a clean, controlled material flow combined with high process density. In addition, conventional chain and lubricant concepts can be avoided in the hot process area, reducing the risk of contamination for sensitive assemblies.
Flexible loading concepts for different production environments
The vertical dryer is not limited to a single line concept, but is designed for several loading variants:
- automatic inline loading
- manual loading
- optional robotic loading
This allows the system to be adapted to different levels of automation and production structures. Particularly important: according to the concept, manual loading must also be possible. This significantly expands the range of applications, for example in pilot production, flexible lines or production environments with frequently changing batch sizes.
Adaptable to your production line
The system can be designed with several configuration options. These include different loading and unloading positions, various loading methods, and the design of the stack height or the number of carriers in circulation. Alternative unloading positions are also possible in order to optimally adapt the layout to the production line. This allows the vertical dryer to be specifically tailored to the available space, material flow and desired level of automation.
Cooling, protecting and further processing
The system can optionally be equipped with segmented cooling in the second tower. This ensures controlled and product-friendly cooling after the thermal process. It supports stable results and safe further processing downstream.
Developed for modern electronics manufacturing
Whether automotive, aerospace, industrial electronics or other applications with high requirements for drying processes and reliability: Rehm’s vertical dryer supports stable, documentable and economical processes. By combining a vertical system concept, clean carrier transport and flexible integration options, it provides a future-proof solution for modern electronics manufacturing.
Rehm Thermal Systems supports users as early as the concept phase in defining the optimal technology and process parameters. The result is customized drying solutions that sustainably improve quality, cost-effectiveness and reliability in electronics manufacturing.
