A soldering iron is a hand tool used in soldering. It supplies heat to melt solder so that it can flow into the joint between two workpieces.
A soldering iron is composed of a heated metal tip (the bit) and an insulated handle. Heating is often achieved electrically, by passing an electric current (supplied through an electrical cord or battery cables) through a resistive heating element. Cordless irons can be heated by combustion of gas stored in a small tank, often using a catalytic heater rather than a flame. Simple irons, less commonly used today than in the past, were simply a large copper bit on a handle, heated in a flame.
Solder melts at approximately 185 °C (365 °F). Soldering irons are designed to reach a temperature range of 200 to 480 °C (392 to 896 °F).[1]
Soldering irons are most often used for installation, repairs, and limited production work in electronics assembly. High-volume production lines use other soldering methods.[2] Large irons may be used for soldering joints in sheet metal objects. Less common uses include pyrography (burning designs into wood) and plastic welding (as an alternative to ultrasonic welding).
- ^ "Lower-Melting-Point Solder Alloy". tms.org. 1997-02-07. Archived from the original on 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Bralla, James G. Handbook of Manufacturing Processes - How Products, Components and Materials are Made Industrial Press, 2007 page 297