Heller Industries
A History of Experience for the Future of Innovation

The world of semiconductors has witnessed incredible advances since the dawn of the printed circuit board (PCB) assembly era, circa 1960. The idea of making computers and other devices smaller and more powerful for consumers soon became the goal for electronics companies everywhere; and thus, the production of the most long-lasting, effective semiconductors was recognized as a critical element to the advancement of modern technology. Despite intense competition, Heller Industries, a company with extensive subject matter expertise, stands among the leaders of electronics process equipment innovation with its custom-engineered thermal processing solutions that enable leading-edge semiconductor packaging and electronics assembly worldwide.

Established over six decades ago, Heller Industries pioneered convection reflow soldering in the 1980s for surface mount technology (SMT) and since has carried the moniker of a world leader in reflow oven technology. Today, the company also excels at semiconductor packaging and epoxy curing, making it a one-stop destination for thermal processing solutions on an international level. The organization offers a slew of customizable oven configurations including horizontal inline, vertical, and batch that effectuate the best electronics assembly processes.

This particularly bodes well for the electronics innovators of today, where, with the advent of 5G capabilities, demand for next-gen smartphones is at an all-time high.

Heller Industries’ reflow ovens also find novel applications in the automotive field, where its vacuum reflow systems are used to eliminate voids in soldering processes to improve the reliability of microcontrollers for autonomous driving and insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) modules for electric vehicles (EV). “The goal is to be the premier supplier of thermal solutions with our equipment that enables superior soldering and epoxy curing for surface mount technology (SMT) and back-end semiconductor packaging,” states Heller.

The most valuable resource the company provides atop its already extensive portfolio is the level of customizability it offers its clients. The company particularly shines with its fluxless reflow ovens. Flip-chip solder bump pitches have recently scaled below 60 microns to enable high-performance computing, however at these small dimensions flux cleaning becomes difficult resulting in yield loss and device reliability issues. Heller’s continuous inline formic acid reflow ovens eliminate the need to clean any flux post-soldering and deliver industry-leading throughput.

The following case study perfectly showcases how effective Heller Industries can be in the face of stringent deadlines. It is important to note that the company typically ships 1,000 to 1,500 ovens annually. With that information in mind, Heller recalls the story of one of his biggest clients that reached out to him—during the last quarter of the year—asking for over 700 ovens within the first six months of the next year. “The customer wanted to aggressively ramp up their production and required curing ovens for the assembly,” says Heller. While carrying out its responsibilities to the entire client base, Heller Industries took up the challenge and began manufacturing the 700 ovens—plus peripheral components. The company’s team in China set up a new factory, established a second supply chain, and hired and trained over a hundred people to produce curing ovens: all within two months. Heller Industries was speckless in the quality of each product and delivered all the ovens on time with no hassles in customer service as well.

With such strong and proven capabilities, Heller Industries has earned its place among the leaders in semiconductor packaging and electronics assembly equipment globally. Moving forward, the company intends to continue executing its product roadmaps to meet the rapidly evolving needs of electronics manufacturers including the trends towards increased interconnect densities, more automated factories, and higher cleanliness. Clients can expect significantly improved ovens over the upcoming years as Heller Industries continues to innovate tirelessly, with international partnerships as a strong driver of the company’s ambitious roadmap.