ERSA GmbH
Soldering Division: Tools & Inspection Systems
Soldering Technology - a Never-Ending Story for More Than 5,000 Years
Man had scarcely learned how metal. After all, that was 4,000 They soldered 400 km long water In 1921, 80 years ago, he de- shops, up to toughest OEM fac-
to use metals for his purposes years ago. pipes made of lead with seams veloped the first electric and tory applications, our product
when the desire to join them From then on, the worlds solder- which could withstand 18 Atm (!), mass-produced soldering iron range is designed to meet every
arose in him. Many of the pieces ing technology was on its way and conjured up stoves and tubs for industry. Driven by a desire soldering need.
of jewelry, tools and weapons upwards. It first spread around made of bronze, not to mention to innovate, we have devoted The ban on certain hazardous
we know from the Bronze Age the Mediterranean. The Cretians the arts of their goldsmiths and ourselves to the continuous substances (RoHS) set in the
were given their utility and beau- showed it to the Etruscans, who armorers. development and perfection of law on electric and electronic
ty by soldering. then taught it to the Romans, The last century, in particular, soldering technology. equipment is a new challenge
Today, it is difficult to say who Tunesians, Spaniards, followed not only witnessed an increased With the worlds largest spect- for soldering technology. As
first discovered how to glue by many others , including the improvement in the craftmans rum of soft soldering products of 01 July 2006 electric and
metals. One thing is certain, less developed cultures of the soldering skill, but also our and 80 years of industrial expe- electronic equipment may only
the goldsmiths of ancient time - the Swiss, Bohemians, understanding was refined in rience, ERSA is synonymous be offered on the market if it is
Egypt knew how to join gold Hungrians, Teutons and Scan- respect to the scientific interac- with expertise and quality. Our free of lead, mercury, cadmium,
more than 5,000 years ago. dinavians. tions which take place during range of hand soldering tools hexavalent chromium, PBB and
Their colleagues in Troy were The art of soldering was im- soldering. begins with the smallest, 5-watt PBDE.
also master solderers long proved and sophisticated from Consequently, soft soldering needle and covers everything Therefore soldering processes
before the ancient Teutons culture to culture, generation to developed into an independent from conventional hand sold- must be adapted accordingly
could even dream of such generation. field of production engineer- ering equipment, countless and in many cases do without
handicraft. ing in the electronics industry. customized solutions for special the established soft solders
Looking back, the most impres-
Soldering came of age when It combines the disciplines of applications, to the 550-watt based on tin and lead.
sive achievements can be attri-
tin was discovered as a soldering mechanics, chemistry, physics workshop soldering iron.
buted to the ancient Romans. ERSA has prepared itself at
and metallurgy, to an equal Moreover, ERSAs electronically best for the lead-free process.
extent. temperature-controlled solder- By this versatile soldering guide
Ernst Sachs, founder of ERSA ing stations now represent, in we would like to help you find
(a name comprised of the begin- the same way, the standard for your way into the world of sold-
ning letters of his first and last the entire industry as the com- ering - and perhaps we can
names) contributed to this. plete line of wave, reflow and ignite a soldering fire in you,
selective soldering systems. just as it has been burning in our
ERSA quality products have hearts.
ERSA's center Soldering iron their home in a miriad of places.
for soldering heated by fire:
technology in soldering technology From hobby shops for Tiffany
2 Wertheim around 1536 soldering, to electric hardware 3
In the Industry, at Home and Everywhere - the Art of Soldering
Flux reaction during soldering on a printed conductor when a soldering wire with flux core is used
mens, Rolls Royce or NASA will installation, radio, TV, lighting comes to imagination and ver- metal after cooling, instead it 3
give you the same answer. and communications technolo- satility. must unite with the metal. For 2
1
... for Tiffany soldering ... for industrial use
soldering solder
tip
The prepared parts and the solder are The melted solder flows into the solder The hardened solder joins
4 heated gap and fills it the parts 5
The Basics - What Do You Need for Soldering?
Heat is required in order to used. The usual temperature in iron is important. You must Chrome-plating prevents
the electronics field lies between choose one which lies within the corrosion and solder
melt the solder. It is the job of collection on undesired
Solder
the soldering iron to provide this 250 C and 350 C. In order to desired temperature range or spots
(pure tin)
heat. Temperatures of 200 C to have the proper temperature for choose an adjustable soldering Iron coating
450 C are needed, depending every soldering application, the iron or soldering station.
on the solder joint and the solder thermal rating of the soldering
Cross-section of an ERSADUR soldering tip
2. The soldering tip for the heat transfer
The soldering tip is the actual The most important groups are perfect heat conduction, flaw-
heart of the soldering iron. It nickel-plated copper soldering less composition and reliable How to take soldering quality to the top - ERSADUR soldering tips
is responsible for the transfer of tips and ERSADUR long-life durability and must also fea-
heat from the heating element soldering tips. Its composition ture precise sensitivity. For this Traditional soldering tips are is protected against overheating gen free ERSA Tip-Reactivator
through the solder to the sold- and quality are the decisive reason, one cannot be demand- made of copper, which con- and premature wear thanks to 0TR01. For this purpose wipe
ering joint. Different soldering factors for the success or fail- ing enough when selecting a ducts heat well and is inexpen- perfect heat transfer. the heated soldering tip on the
tips are available depending on ure of a solder joint. The soldering tip. sive, but not without disadvan- surface of the regeneration com-
the type of soldering iron used, technical requirements tages. The tip oxidizes hea- ERSADUR stands up to the pound. In addition to this, the
what is being soldered and are proper shape, vily when heated and copper various demands found in soft hot tip should be cleaned regu-
how often soldering occurs. particles are set free into the soldering technology with a larly with a moist sponge.
solder until it has been cor- comprehensive range of solder-
Thermocouple
roded entirely. ing tips. Spare sponges are available in
Some shapes and dimensions of ERSADUR soldering Lots of care is required to keep specialized trade.
tips for the widest range of applications the tip functional. This range extends from soldering
shaft diameters of 0.2 mm (for Reactivation of an oxidized soldering tip
ERSADUR soldering tips, on microelectronics) to 17 mm.
Cross-section of internally heated tip the other hand, have been de-
on the Power tool soldering iron with
SENSOTRONIC control signed for continuous operation ERSADUR soldering tip care
and high quality. The special Provided that the ERSADUR
process to achieve this was soldering tips are properly cared
developed by ERSA and is pro- for, tip life can be extended. The
Thermocouple tected by a patent. following steps should be taken:
4. Flux for improved contact The breathing zone is close of lead which remain on the
to the soldering activity and hands can enter the human
Flux is used to attain the best acid flux (for plumbing work) and solder is held in the hand. This body through food or cigarette
possible contact between the acid-free products (for electrical presents the risk of contami- smoke.
solder and metal. and electronics work). nating the air, or hands and Hands should be washed thor-
It ensures metallically clean Flux cored solder (soldering objects which are touched. oughly after soldering.
surfaces on the parts to be sold- wire) with one or more flux cores Flux vapours can damage Soldering refuse is hazar-
ered, eliminates oxides and impu- is the primary type of solder FOR HEA LTH AND your health and must be kept dous waste and should not be
rities which can hinder soldering
and prevents the formation of
used in electronical engineering.
Bar solder is used mainly for
ENVIRO NMENT away from the breathing zone.
One should never eat, drink or
deposited in normal household
garbage.
new oxides when soldering. plumbing, as well as in radiator smoke in rooms where sold-
There are different types of flux: and body work. ering is performed. Traces
Soldering time
Soldering quality
A good solder joint can be Another quality indicator is what If the diffusion zone is too thick,
recognized with bent connec- the solder surface actually looks the soldered joints have no ten-
tion wires on the PCB where like. It should be even, non- sile strength and become brittle.
the contours of the soldered porous and shiny. At higher soldering temperatu-
conductor are still visible. This res, the chemical reaction rate
is assuming that not too much Brittle surfaces indicate too high is higher, which produces more
solder is applied. soldering temperatures or too intermetallic material.
long soldering times.
Another indication is the melting As a result, perfect solder joints
angle. Based on the fact that The only absolute quality indi- have to be made at low working
Preparation right! wrong! excellent melting of the solder cator for an ideal solder joint temperatures within short solder-
pads occurs, intermetallic zones is production of intermetallic ing times.
The most important prerequisite (mixed crystals) are created and material.
for the success of a good solder- can be recognized by the small As soon as the last solder joint
ing joint is absolute cleanliness. melting angle. In this diffusion zone, intermetal- is produced, the iron should be
The conductors and compo- lic compounds of copper and tin put back into the holder. But do
nents must be free of dirt, oil A melting angle of up to 25 indi- are produced (mixed crystals, not clean the tip before putting it
and oxidation. These can be re- cates good solder quality, angles see page 5). They can only be away, because remaining solder
moved with solvents or flux. of up to 50 are acceptable in the seen by destroying the joint and on the tip prevents oxidation.
ERSADUR soldering tips should field of hand soldering. making a cross-section.
be cleaned with a damp sponge right! wrong! right! wrong!
when hot, prior to soldering.
Please do not file them as you 25
would copper tips. This would
damage the protective coating
and render the tips unusable.
Soldering process
SMD desoldering
desoldering tip
desoldering
wick soldering tip
right! clean solder joint wrong! wrong!
12 wrong! wrong! wrong! Heat solder and remove ERSA desoldering tweezers IRHP 200 infrared rework heating plate 13
Tiffany Work - or Plumbing Solder Work Correct Desoldering is Not Difficult
Soldering glass objects general- The most important thing for suc-
ly involves three stages of work: cessful desoldering is the correct
tool. You can choose between
spot soldering desoldering wicks (via capillary
rough soldering action), mechanical desoldering
fine soldering. pumps or electronic, temperature-
regulated desoldering systems.
Before the actual soldering These are divided in desold-
copper foil is glued on the glass ering systems with conductive
edges. Then the spot soldering Tiffany soldering with the ERSA ANALOG 80 T Tiffany station
heat and those with hot air.
is carried out. To spot solder,
the process by which the glass soldering
parts are fastened or connected, tip solder
take a drop of solder with the tip
of the soldering iron and careful-
ly apply to the solder joint. Each copper foil
spot soldering operation should glass
only take about a second.
glass soldering tip
ERSA Minor S: an ultra-fine soldering iron weighing incredible 6 g Miniature soldering iron: ERSA universal soldering iron - one for all! Universal soldering iron:
ERSA Minor S ERSA 30 S
The best-selling and most tried
Miniature soldering iron with a and tested ERSA soldering iron
rating of 5 watts and a tip tem- with 30 and 40 watt ratings. This
perature of 440 C. universal soldering iron is de-
The ideal tool for ultra-fine sold- signed for multi-purpose use in
ering of microcircuits and micro- the crafts, service and hobby sec-
scope soldering. tor. A practical soldering set with
desoldering pump and additional
6 V transformer-operated (e.g. soldering tip is also available for
ERSA SNT 30/6) or 6 V-battery- this versatile soldering iron to
operated. handle numerous soldering and
desoldering challenges on the go.
The reduced distance between
handle and curved soldering tip Internally heated solder-
takes particular account of ergo- ing iron: ERSA Multi-Pro
nomic requirements.
ERSA Multi-Pro, 20 W
Thanks to its large range of tips,
ERSA 30 S, 30/40 W
ERSA Minor S, in addition to the the ERSA Multi-Pro is the ideal
electronics industry applications, soldering iron when great flexibi-
Minor S, 5 W
ERSA Multitip - internally heated fine soldering iron for small joints Microsoldering irons: Universal soldering irons:
ERSA Multitip series ERSA 50 S, 80 S and 150 S
A particularly short, light and The 50, 80 and 150 watt ver-
easy-to-handle soldering iron sions, supplied with a bent solder-
with a minimum distance be- ing tip, are ideal to solder copper
tween the soldering tip and the conductors from 2.5 up to 6 mm2
front of the handle. Internally cross-sections.
heated soldering tips ensure
ultimate performance. With their
rating of 8, 15, and 25 watts, Hammer soldering irons:
the Multitip line is designed to ERSA 200 to 550
solder small and medium-sized The hammer-shaped soldering
joints such as distribution strips iron series with 200, 300 and
An unusually light and trans- adapted to the soldering formance. The large selection The Independent 50 is the smal- practical protective cap, which
former-independent solder gun requirements by periodi- of tips of the 832 / 842 series lest member of the successful automatically switches off the
with PTC heating element pro- cally pressing the button. afford a wide range of applica- ERSA Independent gas solder- device when attached. Three
viding high heat-up rating. The The internally heated sold- tions, and not just in service ing irons series. The output of different tips are available.
50 W (compared with electrical
ERSADUR long-life soldering ering tip ensures high per- and repairs. soldering irons) allows maxi-
tip is only heated as long as mum soldering tip temperatures
the button is pressed. of up to 450 C. The operating
time per gas filling is about
Thanks to the very short heat- 60 minutes.
ing times it is ideal for high- An ignition func-
speed series soldering. tion is also
integrated in the
The heat supply
can be
ERSA Independent 75
ERSA X-Tool
ERSA DIGITAL 2000 A: one station - five tools ERSA X-Tool - electronic, temperature-controlled desoldering station
The ERSA DIGITAL 2000 A is control characteristics accordin- The new ERSA X-Tool is a sensor very close to the desold- with the aid of a built-in solder
a top-class, microprocessor- gly adapted. The soldering and high-tech tool to desolder wired ering tip - all these combine to collector - all these outstanding
controlled soldering station dis- desoldering tips are therefore components from one-sided, ensure peak performance at all features make for an unrivaled
tinguished by its flexibility and always connected with high two-sided or multilayer circuit times. high-tech tool.
multifunctionality. It is antistatic impedance to the front-installed boards. In addition to this is the instant
according to the MIL-SPEC / potential equalization socket. availability of the vacuum im-
ESA standard and is designed In order to prevent any damage mediately after pressing the
for industrial use where high to the circuit boards or compo- button; the ergonomic form and
quality is demanded and for Cross-section of the ERSA Tech tool Power-temperature curve nents, the high performance of user-friendliness of the tool,
repairs and laboratory applica- Pre-tinned zone the X-Tool 120 W (preheating easy exchange of the inserted
tions. The device can alterna- K-type thermal
Primary Point of
measurement power 260 W) guarantees effi- desoldering tip, and the easy
tively be operated with various couple
Secondary Zone
cient desoldering with an ideal removal of the residual solder
soldering and desoldering tools. Heating zone of
high power ceramic
of measurement dwell time even under maximum
Besides the Power tool and
element
6 layer silver
based tip Power tool load lasting over an extended
Tech tool universal soldering period. The heat energy stored
irons, the Micro tool micro-sol- in the soldering tip; the powerful
dering iron, the Cip tool desol-
High temp.
stainless steel tip Tip change
heating elements in conjunction
with an extraordinarily proficient
housing
dering pincette and the X-Tool finger grip
24 Ultra-fine SMD soldering tip (0212 SD) Desoldering with ERSA Chip tool SMD-soldering with ERSA Micro tool IR/PL 650 A - the new standard in Rework 25
ERSA Tiffany Solutions ERSA CLEAN-AIR
Solder Fume Extraction
couple installed in the sold-
ering tip, provides extremely
high temperature stability.
With 290 watts, the powerful
ERSA soldering iron heats
up from room tempera-
ture to 280 C in only
60 seconds.
Packed in a practical plastic Activated carbon filters dangerous gas Application example Application example
case the set consists of the
Multi-TC soldering iron provid-
ing state-of-the-art temperature
control, Tiffany solder, liquid flux,
cleaning sponge and holder.
Literature:
stroyed. ERSA recogni-
zed this need and, with the Hans G. Scheib: Hans Schmidtke: Walter Wuich:
ERSASCOPE inspection Werkstattbuch Tiffany Lttechnik in der Elektronik Kleben, Lten, Schweien
system, engineered the first Augustus Verlag Augsburg 1991 Fachschriftenverlag Aargauer Tagblatt Leuchtturm-Verlag
AG, Aarau/Schweiz, Vertrieb in Deutsch-
optical system to visually B.F. Mller: Weichlten land: AT-Fachverlag GmbH, Stuttgart Lehrgang fr berufliche Bildung
inspect hidden solder joints Blaue TR-Reihe, Heft 127 Lten, 10 bungen mit Lernzielen und
under the component without Verlag Technische Rundschau in Rudolf Strauss: Kenntnisvermittlung, herausgegeben
Hallwag Verlag, Bern und Stuttgart Das Lten fr den Praktiker vom Bundesinstitut fr Berufsbildungs-
destroying it. Franzis-Verlag forschung, Beuth Verlag GmbH, Berlin,
The optical unit offers a cross- B. F. Mller: Zinn Taschenbuch, Walter Wuich: Kln, Frankfurt/M
30 sectional visual image of BGAs, ERSASCOPE 2 Metall-Verlag GmbH, Berlin 33 Lten, kurz und bndig, Vogel Verlag 31
ERSA GmbH
Leonhard-Karl-Strae 24
97877 Wertheim/Germany
Phone +49 (0)9342/800-0
Fax +49 (0)9342/800-250
e-mail: info@ersa.de
http://www.ersa.com
97596 - 0805 subject to changes by ERSA, Wertheim, Germany