Cure Solder Mask Setup Option

The Cure Solder Mask node of the Process Options Editor provides the setup options Total Number of Panels in Oven.

Total Number of Panels in Oven

By default, aPriori assumes that the number of panels cured at one time is the maximum number that can fit in the oven (given the assumptions described below). With the setup option Total Number of Panels in Oven (defined by the Cure Solder Mask node of the Process Options Editor), users can override the default on a per-part basis.

The setup option affects cycle time per part, which decreases as the number of panels in the oven increases. It does not affect machine selection; a machine is considered feasible if it can accommodate at least one case (see below).

The default number of panels cured at one time depends on the following:

  • Panel length and width

  • Machine Bed Width, Bed Depth, and Bed Height

  • Oven perimeter spacing: the spacing around the perimeter of the oven bed is specified by the cost model variable ovenPerimeterSpacing_cureSolderMask (50.8mm in starting point Digital Factories).

  • Case length and width spacing: the lengthwise and width wise spacing between cases in the oven is specified by the cost model variable caseNestingSpacing_cureSolderMask (50.8mm in starting point Digital Factories).

  • Number of panels per case: panels are assumed to be stacked in cases, which are loaded into the oven. The number of panels per case is specified by the cost model variable defaultNumberOfPanelsPerCase_cureSolderMask (24 in starting point Digital Factories).

  • Panel height spacing: the spacing between panels along the height of the case is specified by the cost model variable defaultPanelSpacingInCase_cureSolderMask (15mm in starting point VPEs).

  • Shelf height spacing: cases are assumed to be loaded onto shelves that arranged to accommodate the height of the cases. The space between shelves along the height of the oven is specified by the cost model variable ovenShelfSpacing_cureSolderMask (228.6mm in starting point Digital Factories).

  • Oven ceiling spacing: spacing between the top-most panel and the oven ceiling is specified by the cost model variable ovenCeilingSpacing_cureSolderMask (152.4mm in starting point Digital Factories).

The default number of panels is the product of the following:

  • Number of cases per shelf: this is the maximum number of cases that can be accommodated by the machine Bed Width and Bed Depth, assuming the oven perimeter spacing and case length and width spacing described above, and assuming the following:

    • Case length and width are panel Length and Width.

    • Cases are oriented so that either case length or case width is aligned with Bed Width, whichever orientation allows a greater number of cases to fit.

  • Number of panels per case

  • Number of shelves: this is assumed to be the result of rounding down the quotient of the following:

    • Oven Bed Height minus oven ceiling spacing

    • Case height plus shelf height spacing

      The case height is assumed to be the product of the following:

    • Number of panels per case + 1

    • Panel height spacing