Stencil Frame for Reflow Soldering

摘要

These days making equipment yourself is seldom more cost-effective than buying readymade. But here's an exception to the rule! In a development project for the industrial engineering degree course at Albstadt-Sigmaringen University, a team of students designed and manufactured a frame of this kind as an aid to making printed circuit boards for reflow soldering. On the Internet a normal, commercially produced reflow stencil frame can be had for prices starting around €2,500 / £2,220 / $3,000. On the other hand, the material costs of just €310 / £275 / $370) of our students' top-quality DIY handiwork make this alternative approach well worth every enthusiast's consideration. After fabricating the stencil frame described here, all that's left to do is provide either micrometer heads or feed screws for aligning the PCB platform accurately.