What I find is that tips perforate, then erode within the plating, so you get a hollow shell that doesn't conduct heat well, finally collapsing in on itself.
When you have soldering stations, running 8 hours a day with sub-millimeter tips, tip life is measured in weeks. or worse.
I wouldn't like to file a 0.5 mm. needle tip, even if quality control procedures would let me.
I guess that's down to using what are partially plated tips. I have plated tips for lead free and bare copper for leaded, and both have been fine.
No.
NT
:)
I've damaged boards doing that. It concentrates forces onto small points, which can lift tracks. However it sounds like you do more boards than me.
NT
No. fully plated. Perforation usually occurs on points and edges. Dual thermocouple irons running between 320C and 375C, depending on job.
We don't use lead free. All MIL and exempt.
Why use plated tips for lead free? It's the lead that attacks tips, which is what plating is there to stop.
Pure tin should alloy with copper to form a surface layer of a form of bronze. which is durable. Lead free should't attack copper as badly as lead bearing solder.
Molten lead will attack platinum !!
I thought it was the higher temp of unleaded that accelerated tip dissolution.
NT
Different tools with some functional overlap, IMHO. Tweezers are *much* faster and easier to use when replacing SMD resistors & diodes. They heat just the part in question and thus prevent pad damage and unintended movement of neighboring parts.
A hot air pencil (not to be confused with a torch!)
--Winston
You should try brazing or welding some time. :-)
Cheers! Rich
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