Soldering Stations & Tools

Temperature-controlled soldering stations consist of an electrical power supply and a soldering iron. Used for soldering electronic components to a PCB substrate board.

A variety of means are used to control temperature. The simplest of these is a variable power control, much like a light dimmer, which together with the loss of heatfrom the iron to the environment roughly sets thetemperature. Another type of system uses a thermostat, often inside the iron's tip, which switches power on and off to the elements. A more advanced version of this uses a microprocessor to monitor the temperature of the tip via a thermocouple and adjusts the power to the heating element accordingly.

A soldering iron stand keeps the ironaway from flammable materials, and often also comes with a cellulose sponge and flux pot for cleaning the tip. Some soldering irons for continuous and professional use come as part of a soldering station, which allows the exact temperature of the tip to be adjusted, kept constant, and sometimes displayed on a digital screen.

Tips:
Somesoldering irons have interchangeable tips that vary in size and shape for different types of work. Pyramid tips with a triangular flat face and chisel tips with a wide flat face are useful for soldering larger components. Fine conical or tapered chisel tips are typically used for delicate and in close electronics work. Recent soldering iron tips tend to be copper plated with iron. Because iron is not readily dissolved by molten solder, the plated tip is more durable than a bare copper one. This is especially important when working at the higher temperatures needed for modern lead-free solders. Solid iron tips are not used because copper is a better conductor of heat.

Cleaning:
When burnt flux and oxidized material begin to accumulate on the tip, they can block heat transfer and contaminate joints, making soldering difficult.Many soldering stations come with cellulose sponges which are dampened and used to wipe a hot iron's tip clean. A wire brush or wire pad is sometimescarefully used to remove very severe oxidation, though this may risk damaging the tip's protective iron plating. A small amount of fresh solder is usually then applied to the clean tip in a process called tinning. The working surface of the tip is usually kept tinned (coated with wet solder) to minimize oxidation. Oxidation blocks heat transfer, corrodes the tip and contaminates the joint.

Practical Tools supplies Soldering and Desoldering stations along with added soldering tool accessories from the following manufactures Hakko, Weller and many others. Our knowledgeable sales forcecan help determine which soldering station, hot air system, Desoldering station or BGA rework system best fits your application. If you don’t see what you need or have a question please call 866-434-7561 and ask for Alondra.