Parts
Reflow oven parts and spares
How do I find replacement parts for a Research International oven?
Start from the exact oven model and the original parts catalog. Research International maintained a catalog of spares by part number and a MicriFlo component list covering convection fans, heaters, controller and interface boards, contactors, relays, disconnect switches, transformers, and battery-backup units. Match the part number on the failed component, not just its description, before sourcing a replacement.
Work from the part number, not the symptom
The fastest way to get the wrong part is to order by description. Reflow ovens went through running changes, and two ovens of the same family can carry different revisions of the same board or a different fan from a later build. The original parts catalog was organized by part number for exactly this reason. When something fails, read the number off the component itself or off the assembly drawing, and cross-reference that against the catalog before you buy.
The recovered catalog covered a long list of part numbers along with a MicriFlo component-level index. Common service items fall into a few groups: convection fans and their motors, heating elements, the controller and conveyor-interface boards, power-switching parts like contactors and relays, disconnect switches, transformers, and the battery-backup unit that protects against power loss mid-profile.
The parts that fail first
On a convection reflow oven, the moving and high-stress parts wear first. The convection fans run hot and continuously, so fan bearings and motors are a recurring replacement. Heating elements degrade over years of thermal cycling. Relays and contactors that switch heater and fan loads have a finite mechanical and electrical life. Cooling fans and control-board components age, and battery-backup units hold charge for only so long.
Keeping a small shelf of these wear items, the fan, a heater, the common relays, the controller board if you can source one, is what keeps an out-of-warranty oven from turning a single failure into days of downtime. The component list from the catalog is the starting point for deciding what to stock.
Sourcing for legacy equipment
Because the original manufacturer's division changed hands, original-equipment parts are not always available through a single channel anymore. In practice, sourcing falls into three paths: original or compatible boards and assemblies from specialist suppliers who carry legacy SMT-equipment spares; commodity components (relays, contactors, switches, fan motors, transformers) cross-referenced to standard industrial part numbers and bought from general distributors; and used or refurbished assemblies pulled from decommissioned ovens of the same model.
For anything custom, the controller and interface boards especially, the part number plus the model and revision is what a supplier needs to help you. This page exists to make that identification straightforward; the slots below are reserved for vetted parts sources as they are added.
What to look for
Key points
- Match the exact part number. Read it off the component or the assembly drawing; descriptions are not enough across revisions.
- Confirm the oven model and revision. The same family can carry different boards or fans depending on build date.
- Stock the wear items. Fans, heaters, and switching relays fail first; a small shelf prevents long downtime.
- Cross-reference commodity parts. Relays, contactors, switches, and transformers often map to standard industrial part numbers.
- Keep the catalog reference. The original part-number catalog and MicriFlo component list are the sourcing backbone.
Resources
Datasheets, parts, and service
Each slot below is reserved for a vetted datasheet archive, parts supplier, or service partner. We are adding them as we verify them; nothing here is a paid placement, and this site does not sell ovens or parts directly.
Reserved for a supplier of original or compatible reflow oven boards and assemblies.
Reserved for cross-referenced relays, contactors, switches, and fan motors.
Reserved for refurbished boards and fans pulled from like-model ovens.
Questions