Customized Heating Solutions Beyond Standard Reflow Ovens | ANTOM

Some challenges simply cannot be solved with standard equipment.

When selecting heating equipment such as reflow ovens, many manufacturing sites struggle to force commercially available machines into applications where they are not a natural fit.

– The thermal mass of the workpiece is too large
– Direct heating is required for three-dimensional or thick components, not flat PCBs
– Strong airflow causes misalignment, deformation, or quality defects
– Using mass-production equipment for evaluation or prototyping is impractical
– Standard machines cannot achieve sufficient control or condition repeatability

These challenges cannot be solved by simply choosing an existing machine. They can only be addressed by designing equipment around the actual problem.
ANTOM’s customization and special-order solutions exist precisely for this purpose.

Why ANTOM’s customization is chosen

For more than half a century since its founding, ANTOM has developed and manufactured a wide range of heating equipment, including made-to-order systems for special applications.
In recent years, we have delivered heating systems tailored to customer requirements, such as bottom-contact heating systems (hot plate heating) and conveyor-type aging ovens designed to automate batch ovens.

The image below illustrates a hot plate reflow system, which is particularly effective when directly heating workpieces with large thermal mass.

Conventional reflow ovens and industrial ovens are generally designed to heat workpieces by warming the surrounding air.

However, for workpieces with special characteristics—such as:

– a high metal content
– significant thickness
– structures that easily dissipate heat

air-based heating alone often fails to provide sufficient efficiency and repeatability.

For this reason, ANTOM also proposes hot plate reflow as an effective solution.
For example, when heating workpieces with extremely large thermal mass—such as power semiconductors like IGBTs—non-contact top-side hot-air heating alone, as used in standard reflow ovens, cannot deliver sufficient heat to the target area. Increasing the temperature excessively may instead apply unnecessary thermal stress to areas that should not be heated.

In addition, there are many cases—such as bumps, terminals, or localized soldering—where heating the entire workpiece is unnecessary.

Even in solvent drying or curing processes, applying strong airflow before evaporation can cause surface disturbances, such as rippling.

In such cases, a hot plate heating method—where heat is applied through direct contact from below—can be a more effective alternative than applying excessive heat from above.

– Heating only the necessary areas
– Gentle airflow or airflow-free heating
– Prevention of misalignment and component movement
– Faster condition setup, ideal for evaluation and testing

ANTOM’s customization capabilities demonstrate their greatest strengths precisely in these specialized applications.

A design philosophy driven by challenges, not by machines

ANTOM’s customization does not begin with “what kind of machine we can build,” but with a fundamental question: “How should this challenge be solved?”

– Why does the current method fail to work effectively?
– What exactly needs to be reproduced?
– What level of accuracy and control is required?
– Is the application for evaluation, or for production?

Our dedicated customization team carefully listens to this background information and designs the optimal system with the minimum necessary configuration.

Moreover, we do not treat custom-built systems as one-off solutions.
This is another important principle at ANTOM.

– Insights gained through custom projects
– Real requirements from manufacturing sites
– New approaches to heating processes

These insights lead to:

– Improvements to standard models
– Development of new product series
– Creation of derivative models

For this reason, ANTOM positions customization as a critical process for creating the next generation of standard equipment.

For those facing challenges like these

– Standard reflow ovens cannot handle the application
– Ovens or manual processes fail to deliver repeatability
– Strong airflow cannot be used or should be avoided
– You are looking for an optimal heating solution for evaluation or prototyping
– You feel that your concerns are not being properly heard or accepted

These challenges may not be solved by simply selecting or searching for equipment, but by creating a solution together.

At ANTOM, we welcome discussions starting from any stage, including cases where:

– No drawings are available
– The required specifications are not yet finalized
– The challenge is difficult to clearly put into words

“When conventional reflow or heating equipment simply does not work.”

Beyond that point lies ANTOM’s customization.

In addition to optimizing heating equipment itself, we also support customization that includes upstream and downstream processes, such as conveyor systems and peripheral equipment.

For example, we can propose integrated designs that include loading and unloading conveyors or inter-process transfer systems, tailored to workpiece conditions (such as shape) and installation environments.

We also develop specialized conveyor systems, such as heat-resistant conveyors connected downstream of reflow or heating ovens, as well as mesh-type cooling conveyors. Please feel free to contact us for consultation.

First, check whether standard models can meet your requirements

Even when considering custom or special-order solutions, there are many cases where ANTOM’s standard models can fully meet the requirements.

We recommend first reviewing ANTOM’s lineup of compact standard reflow ovens, and then consulting with us about customization if necessary.

→ View our standard reflow oven lineup

Inquiries about products

For inquiries regarding the heating equipment (small reflow, drying oven) or peripheral equipment provided by our company, please use the form below.
Please feel free to contact us for consultations regarding the introduction of heating equipment, as well as demonstrations using actual equipment and profile measurements.

Product inquiry form

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