opinion of these rework stations

if anyone has used or has one of these bga rework stations please give me your opinion on them. I am planning on using the sytem for not only rework but also low volume prototype production for hand built 1 or 2 qty pcb's, so ease of use is important to me.

SRT Serria Summit 1000 Air Vac DRS22 Air Vac DRS22C (not sure what the difference between the DRS22 & DRS22C?)

thank you Greg

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| if anyone has used or has one of these bga rework stations please give me your opinion on them. I am planning on using the sytem for not only rework but also low volume prototype production for hand built 1 or 2 qty pcb's, so ease of use is important to me. | | SRT Serria Summit 1000 | Air Vac DRS22 | Air Vac DRS22C (not sure what the difference between the DRS22 & DRS22C?) | | thank you | Greg | | I have more hours on the 1000 than in my living room. It is a good machine though seemingly not designed by mechanical engineers. It is a bit clunky from a purist standpoint but functions very well, when carefully maintained (by qualified personnel) and calibrated.

The setup is straight forward and is espeically good with the latest software version as it does more "predictive" work for you concerning boards, components, and associated thermal profiles. The machine is somewhat more operator intensive than its more sophisticated cousins the 2100 series and up. However, I like being able to get in there and make "contact" with what's going on.

You may read my article in, I believe, the July or August edition of SMT Express on line magazine. The whole thing is based on the 1000 machine and provides nearly all operational procedures required to manage the process.

Where I currently reside, we have newer 1100 machines. They are a bit more mechanically well thought out with single actuator cylinders replacing two as well as a better designed bottom side board heater with more horsepower and stable surface.

Service is pretty good, but when maintenance and calibration performed as required it seldom is needed. Nozzles are supplied quickly costing $450 each with part nests costing 100. There's more and others can talk to the other machines though I do have some experience with the older Air-Vac system and liked it a lot though not having as much experience.

Earl Moon

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Never heard of the DRS-22C. I have had a DRS-22 for several years now. Purchased it when we started doing BGA's. The operators like it - good optics (split view), built like a tank, X-Y table easy to manipulate for alignment. I like it because I can create and store a profile for each component type and take the guess work out of the operator's hands. Very important for BGA's since they can't see what is happening at the solder joint. I profile the component just like I would a board going through the reflow oven. By the way, the profiles are very repeatable. We also use the DRS-22 for rework on large QFP's because of the underside board heater. The DRS will serve you well for prototype work too. Based on Earl's response, the price for nozzles is about the same as the SRT for BGA and large QFP's.

Now the bad news. I think the only way you can get a DRS-22 now is on the used market. Air-Vac replaced the 22 with the DRS-24. They added lots of bells and whistles (motorized this, motorized that) and drove the price way beyond anything reasonable for a rework station. I was told at a recent show that it is possible to order a stripped down version. Give them a call and set up a demo. I have been using Air-Vac stuff successfully for many years. Their stuff is built solid. Air-Vac's number is 203-888-9900.

| if anyone has used or has one of these bga rework stations please give me your opinion on them. I am planning on using the sytem for not only rework but also low volume prototype production for hand built 1 or 2 qty pcb's, so ease of use is important to me. | | SRT Serria Summit 1000 | Air Vac DRS22 | Air Vac DRS22C (not sure what the difference between the DRS22 & DRS22C?) | | thank you | Greg | |

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