Device for cooling freshly-soldered circuit boards

Claim 1

In a device for cooling printed circuit boards after mechanical soldering of heat-sensitive electrical components into such boards with the aid of a cooling air stream which is circulated in a substantially closed circuit with the aid of a fan means and a means for transporting such board past the air stream, wherein the improvement comprises: a somewhat C-shaped housing defining said closed circuit and positioned approximately perpendicular relative to a transport direction of said boards and embracing said means for transporting such boards at a distance with a pair of horizontally extending legs, each of said legs having air-outlet openings on surfaces thereof facing said boards, said air-outlet openings beings disposed at least at outer ends of said legs and being directed against opposite sides of said boards at an obtuse angle, said housing having a central opening therein allowing cooling air to be sucked-in via said opening and expelled through said legs to said air-outlet openings to establish an air current about said circuit boards, and said means for transporting such boards past the air stream comprising a transport means supporting freshly-soldered circuit boards only at their respective side edges in such a manner that opposite major surfaces of such boards are uncovered.

Claim 5

A device for cooling circuit boards after mechanical soldering of heat-sensitive electrical components into such boards, comprising: a housing having a central passageway there through for allowing a transport means to travel through said housing in a given direction, said transport means supporting freshly-soldered circuit boards only at their respective side edges in such a manner that opposite major surfaces of such boards are uncovered, said transport means conveying a plurality of spaced-apart freshly-soldered circuit boards through said central passageway of the housing, said housing having an air flow channel allowing a circulating air stream to travel through said housing and said central passageway; and air circulating means operationally associated with said air flow channel in said housing for circulating a substantially closed air stream through said channel and said passageway and at an obtuse angle against said opposite major surfaces of the circuit boards supported by the transport means within said central passageway.

Claim 6

A device for cooling circuit boards after mechanical soldering of heat-sensitive electrical components into such boards, comprising: a housing having a central passageway there through for allowing a transport means to travel through said housing in a given direction, said transport means supporting freshly-soldered circuit boards only at their respective side edges in such a manner that opposite major surfaces of such boards are uncovered, said transport means conveying a plurality of spaced-apart freshly-soldered circuit boards through said central passageway of the housing, said housing having an air flow channel allowing a circulating air stream to travel through said housing and said central passageway; and air circulating means operationally associated with said air flow channel in said housing for circulating a substantially closed air stream through said channel and said passageway and at an obtuse angle against said opposite major surfaces of the circuit boards supported by the transport means within said central passageway.