Soldering iron
The soldering iron is an apparatus for melting of metals, in order to connect the components by soldering.
The soldering metal parts to be heated with a soldering iron, and (for example, solder) wetted by another, thereby melting metal. This metal is, after cooling, produces a reliable mechanical and electrical connection between the metal parts. The metal parts themselves are not thermally fused as in welding, however, occurs at the boundary layers of a very thin alloy layer with the solder. Soldering is therefore no bond.
Types
A distinction between electric and gas-heated soldering iron. Both are used for soft soldering. Brazing is not possible with copper tips.
Foreign Heated Soldering Iron
When soldering with great heat dissipation of the part to be soldered (large sheets, gutters ) often no longer sufficient, the heating power of a conventional electric soldering iron with up to 150W. There are suitable expensive flask with about 500 W, but that's the area of operation of the gas soldering iron.
Early soldering iron often have hammer shape and consist of a 250 to 1500 g heavy copper block with iron handle (poorer heat conduction ) and wooden handle (self made easily possible). The copper block usually has a blade or fin that allows finer statements shall heat and solder. For finer work, " conical flask " were used ( in derAbb. 3 vo). The flask is heated with a blow lamp, with blackens the copper and then in the flame is blank again. Now the copper block has sufficient thermal capacity to handle larger solder joints.
In line construction of telecommunications, coal basin were used. They had roughly the size of a shoebox and were fired with grease or charcoal. Heat insulated handles ( usually wood) made a transport to occur in service.
Foreign Heated Irons were regularly cleaned during operation by rubbing on a " ammoniac " (now uncommon).
To clean the solder joint " soldering fluid " (zinc chloride solution with excess hydrochloric acid ) was common. As flux were rosin and " soldering paste ". In the water installation was for soldering of lead pipes and stearin, usually used in the form of a candle.
If the tin no longer flows, must be re- heated. Convenient are gas-heated soldering irons where the flame burns continuously on the copper block.
Electric Soldering Irons
An electric soldering iron can be equipped with an internal or externally heated, usually replaceable soldering tips.
With electronically temperature controlled soldering iron, the heating is controlled electronically. The temperature is measured by an additional, preferably near the top of the mounted temperature sensor, or the temperature-dependent electrical resistance of the heating wire is evaluated for determining the temperature. When the target temperature can be freely adjusted ( typically by means of a rotary knob on the soldering station ), the heat capacity of the soldering tip should be as low as possible, so that their temperature should the temperature ( and down) may follow soon. The heating power must be able to fully compensate for the heat loss during the soldering process. Electronic temperature-controlled soldering iron are particularly suitable for fine soldering work in the laboratory.
The use of the heating coil as the temperature sensor is not to be confused with heating coils, which are regulated via their Kaltleit property itself. With almost no current flows near the shutdown temperature. To keep the soldering temperature stable, but should be a greatest possible energy supplies are delivered falls below the shutdown temperature. Therefore, a very high current flow would be necessary. The self-regulation is therefore only suitable for overheating protection for soldering iron such as hammer soldering iron whose heat output is considerably lower than the outflow of heat during the soldering process.
In electromechanical temperature-controlled soldering iron, the soldering tip is chosen, the desired temperature before: When the tip is mounted, its shank-side cap attracts a movable magnet in the socket, which switches the heating current. The cap reaches its Curie temperature, the magnet is not energized, springs back to its rest position, and the heater is switched off again. Your Curie temperature is a solid, non-aging property of the material of the cap, which is pre- determined by its alloy. This temperature control principle has been known under the registered by Cooper Hand Tools, Inc., used for your brand Weller word mark Magnastat. As for different target temperatures, the tip needs to be replaced anyway, the heat capacity of the soldering tip can be arbitrarily high. Electromechanical temperature-controlled soldering iron suitable for fine and coarse soldering and especially for fast, similar Lötfolgen.
Electric soldering iron there is, depending on the task area, with heating capacities from about six watts ( micro soldering iron ) to several hundred watts. Efficient temperature- controlled soldering with interchangeable tips, however, are suitable for very fine as well as for medium work. A miniature design of the soldering iron is the so-called Lötnadel that is typically operated at 6 V or 12 V.
The electric soldering iron was invented by the German engineer Ernst Sachs, in 1921, filed his patent.
Soldering gun
Another design of an electric soldering iron is by its typical form (see picture) named soldering gun. Your shortened to a heating coil loop itself is used as a tip. The tip is so - unlike the electric soldering iron - even carrying a current. So it does not shock radio (and related corrosion) comes in contact with the part to be soldered, the voltage must be as low as possible. To the tip to be able to still supply sufficient energy, a very high current must flow, which in turn requires thick cables. To keep this short, the transformer for the transformation is integrated into the device. Due to the shape of the soldering gun remains manageable despite its ( classical design) high weight and space requirements. For low Lötleistungen there are also soldering guns in bar form. Soldering guns have the advantage of very short heat-up time of only a few seconds compared with soldering iron. They are switched on by a switch located in the handle for the soldering operation. The unit would overheat during long Lötdauern. Fine soldering is impossible with soldering guns.
For soldering on temperature sensitive components such as semiconductor elements are ill-suited for soldering work on electrostatically sensitive components, they are inherently unfit. A typical application for soldering guns was until the early 1970s -complying with the electrical installation tinning of cables to be clamped; according to the current VDE regulations must now instead be crimped ferrules. Much better than for soldering soldering guns for cutting work are suitable in thermoplastics.
Tip
The core of the soldering tips, which must be a good heat conductor, always consists of copper. However, this alloy already at soldering temperatures easily with tin ( for bronze ) and is dissolved, the tip will be filed scarred and needs. A so-called long-life tip is made of a copper core to the thermal conduction and is galvanically coated with a layer of iron. Iron is used because it is on the one side nor wetted with tin, but very slowly alloyed on the other side into the liquid tin. Thus, the service life of the tip is extended. The wettable area of the tip is then electrically pre-tinned and then tauchverzinnt. The rear part is protected with a chrome - or nickel / chromium layer against corrosion. If the peak is non-wetting, helps a soldering stone with maximum soldering temperature. A long-life tip must not mechanically treated ( sanded ) are. Thus, the iron layer is destroyed and the soldering tip useless.
The type of cleaning depends greatly on the application. Soldering Tips for electronic components are usually cleaned with a damp cleaning sponge. Acidic or chemically aggressive cleaning agents are not used for such soldering tips.
Corrosion at the bit end in the immersion heater interferes with the transfer of heat. This can be resolved Clean brushes and wrapping with some household aluminum foil.
Soldering tips are available in different forms. Are widespread, for example, round conical and flat tips. Most soldering irons have interchangeable tips.
Application
The soldering or hand soldering is used only for repair work, for the production of test patterns in the production of small series or by DIY enthusiasts.
In industrial production today will find modern soldering as the wave or wave soldering or reflow soldering application. But even in the craft, the time-consuming soldering in many areas has been displaced by mechanical joining techniques such as crimping, clinching technology, wrapping and various clamp and plug techniques.
In order to solve a solder and cleaned by the binding of metal, used together with the soldering iron solder wick or a desoldering pump usually.
Technical Characteristics
The technical characteristics of a soldering iron are its electrical power in watts, the working temperature range, the type of clamping to the piston end and the geometry of the tip and the mounting type.
The electrical performance of a conventional soldering iron is from about 15 to 120 W, the working temperature range of between 150 ° and 480 ° C. From this depends crucially on the type of solder used. The soldering tips are fundamentally different in diameter and can be designed different in their geometrical shape.
The tool holder is available in the tapered standard version as well as the types 105A, but they are not compatible with each other.