Continuous furnace for soldering electronic components

Claim 1

A continuous furnace for soldering an assembly of electronic components mounted on a substrate which is opaque to infrared rays by means of a soldering product having an eutectic melting temperature, comprising in combination: a metallic muffle defining a furnace chamber through which said assembly to be soldered is to travel, said muffle being adapted to contain said assembly in a controlled atmosphere and having an inlet and an outlet for entry and exit of said assembly, respectively, and said chamber comprising, in order, from the inlet to the outlet of said muffle, a first heating section, a second heating section and a cooling section; conveying means for transporting said assembly, said means entering the chamber at the inlet of said muffle and leaving it at the outlet of said muffle; means for driving said conveying means; first heating means, external to said muffle, for heating said first heating section and ensuring a temperature rise of said assembly up to a temperature plateau below the eutectic melting temperature of the soldering product; second heating means, internal to said muffle, for heating, in said second heating section, the soldering product to a temperature above said eutectic melting temperature while heating said electronic components to a lower temperature, said second heating means including infrared-ray-emitting heating means located beneath said conveying means and a reflector provided, in said second heating section, above and facing said conveying means; means for thermally insulating said first and second heating sections; forced cooling means for cooling said cooling section; means for introducing at least one gas into said chamber; and isolation means provided at the inlet and outlet of said muffle for isolating the chamber.