Hot-air soldering is customarily used with surface-mount devices being attached to printed circuit boards. Solder braid is available in different widths for various component sizes both 2.0mm and 3.0mm (shown) are useful. Solder braid is used (with a hand soldering iron) to remove excess solder from component leads, thereby eliminating shorts between pins.A pair of bent-nose tweezers is useful for handling SMDs a vacuum pickup tool is another option.In addition to liquid flux (as shown), flux is also available in a pen-style applicator and in gel form for application with a syringe and blunt needle. Flux is necessary to obtain good flow and coverage of molten solder.The alcohol shown is almost 100% pure, but a lesser concentration (such as 91% pure) can also be used if additional time is allowed for the residual water to evaporate. Isopropyl alcohol is used along with a soft toothbrush, cotton swabs, and/or a cloth to clean the surface of PCBs before soldering and to remove flux residue after soldering.Solder wire is used (with a hand soldering iron) to touch up or clean up joints that are shorted to adjacent pins or joints that are poorly connected.Solder paste is also available in small jars, from which the paste may be transferred to a syringe or applied directly to the PCB using a very small tool to dip in the paste and dab on the pads. Pressing on the syringe plunger forces the solder paste through a blunt needle, which is often used to apply solder and flux directly to the PCB pads before placing the surface mount components. The syringe contains solder paste, which is a mixture of very small solder particles and flux.The photo below contains examples of some of the most essential items. The photo below shows the included nozzle sizes other sizes and shapes are available as accessories.Ī few additional items are needed to effectively use a hot-air rework station. In addition to controlling the amount of air sent across the heating element in the gun, the unit also includes three tips to use for aiming the hot air output. There is a separate temperature control and digital readout (in Celsius) for each tool the hot-air station also has a dial for setting air flow volume. Professionals will likely use a more expensive station.Īs you can see, it includes not only a hot-air soldering station but also a hand soldering station, as well. Its price is near the bottom of the range, but it seems reasonably well-built and more than adequate for hobbyist use. The unit shown in the photo below is the one used by the author it is available under a variety of brand names and was built in China. The key piece of equipment for hot-air soldering is, of course, a hot-air rework station. Tools and Equipment for Hot-Air Soldering The knowledge gained by using a reflow oven is also beneficial. You should be familiar with what constitutes a good solder joint, different types of solder that may be used, and a few basic tools common to electronic assembly. In order to get the most from this article, you should know the basics of hand soldering. If any of the actions in this article are unclear or seem risky to you, don't do them.
Be very careful when soldering eye protection is especially important.
Warning! Hot-air soldering, like all soldering, involves temperatures that may exceed 500✬, which can burn eyes, skin, furniture, draperies, clothing, etc. The first part will deal with tools and equipment the second part will demonstrate some techniques for you to consider. This article will present the basics of soldering SMDs (surface-mount devices) using hot air. The best way to solder surface mount devices (SMDs) onto printed circuit boards (PCBs) is with a reflow oven, but when that's not possible, a hot-air station can be successfully used.
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