Equipment: Electrovert Vectra
Software: Wave II
Option: SmartLoad
1. Problem Description
A customer reported that following a fluxer communication failure, the machine did not correctly load recipe-specific solder wave parameters for pallets remaining inside the machine.
The machine was operating with SmartLoad enabled and had multiple pallets inside the machine running different recipes.
2. Conditions When the Problem Occurred
The customer reported the following pallet configuration:
| Pallet | Recipe | Chip Wave RPM |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AC901028 | 700 RPM |
| 2 | AC901028 | 700 RPM |
| 3 | AY8310SP | 450 RPM |
A fluxer communication alarm occurred, resulting in one pallet being blocked at the infeed.
The first two pallets passed through the solder pot successfully using recipe AC901028.
However, when the third pallet, running recipe AY8310SP, reached the solder pot, the machine applied the previous recipe's Chip Wave RPM setting of 700 RPM instead of the correct 450 RPM.
This resulted in excessive solder being applied.
3. Software Investigation
ITW EAE Software Engineering reviewed the machine log files and identified the following sequence:
When the fluxer communication failure occurred, the machine state changed from:
RUNNING → STARTING
When the machine is in the STARTING state, the software does not perform Quick Load or SmartLoad parameter loading.
This explains why the correct recipe-specific parameters were not loaded following the communication failure.
4. Additional Findings
The customer reported that the fluxer communication issue occurred approximately once per week.
Restarting the machine PC restored operation without requiring a complete machine shutdown.
Software Engineering also reviewed the logs and noted indications that something was slowing down the machine computer.
The exact cause of the communication failure was not established.
5. Recommended Troubleshooting
When this condition occurs:
Review the machine event logs for fluxer communication failures.
Determine whether the machine state changed from RUNNING to STARTING.
Verify whether Quick Load or SmartLoad parameter loading occurred following the alarm.
Check the recipe-specific solder wave parameters for each pallet.
Confirm that the correct Chip Wave RPM is applied before the pallet reaches the solder pot.
Collect Windows Application, System, and Security logs if the communication failure continues.
6. Software Considerations
Software Engineering discussed reviewing the machine state behavior to determine whether SmartLoad parameter loading should be modified following a communication failure.
7. Production Verification
After any applicable software correction:
Run multiple pallets using different recipes.
Introduce a recipe change while multiple pallets are inside the machine.
Verify that each pallet receives its correct recipe-specific parameters.
Confirm that a fluxer communication failure does not leave the machine using parameters from the previous recipe.
8. Summary
The investigation identified that when a fluxer communication failure caused the machine state to change from RUNNING to STARTING, SmartLoad parameter loading was not performed.
This resulted in the previous recipe's Chip Wave RPM being applied to a pallet running a different recipe.
The machine must correctly load recipe-specific parameters following recovery from a communication failure to prevent incorrect soldering conditions.