Application Notes; Extending Tip Life; Detinned Tips - Metcal MX-5200 Serie Manual Del Usuario

2. Release the Output Selector/Command Button.
3. Press and hold the Output Selector/Command button for 3 seconds.
4. Release the Output Selector/Command Button.
5. Press the Output Selector/Command Button until the desired bar graph is displayed; Standard
or UltraFine. 6. Press and hold the Output Selector/Command button for 3 seconds to return to operation.

8. APPLICATION NOTES:

a. EXTENDING TIP LIFE
1. Each day, remove, inspect, and clean the cartridge shaft and handle using denatured alcohol and
a clean cloth. Stubborn flux deposits on the shaft (and on the entire SMTC, PTTC & TATC tip)
can be removed using a brass brush.
2. After you turn on the system, and each time you return the tip to the holder, apply solder to the
tinned surfaces of the tip. The solder protects the tip from oxidation and prolongs the life of the
tip.
3. Select the lowest temperature series tip cartridge that will do the job. Lower temperatures
decrease tip oxidation and are easier on the components being joined.
4. Use fine point tips only when necessary. The plating on fine precision tips is less durable than the
plating on larger tips.
5. Do not use the tip as a prying tool. Bending the tip can cause the plating to crack, shortening tip
life.
6. Use the minimum activation flux, appropriate to solder type, as necessary to do the job. Higher
activation flux is more corrosive to the tip plating.
7. When making a solder connection, apply fresh solder to the items being joined, not to the hot
soldering tip.
8. Switch the system off when not in use.
9. Do not apply pressure to the tip. More pressure does not equal more heat. To improve heat
transfer, use solder to form a thermal bridge between the tip and the solder joint.
10. Clean the tip on a clean, damp sponge or a coiled brass cleaner -- not on a rag or dirty, dry
sponge.
b. DETINNED TIPS
If a tip is not wetting with solder then it is detinned. This exposes the plating to oxidation and
substantially degrades the heat transfer efficiency of the tip. Detinning is caused by:
Failure to keep the tip covered with fresh solder during idling periods.

High tip temperatures.

Lack of sufficient flux in soldering operations.

Wiping the tip on dirty or dry sponges and rags. (Always use a clean, damp, industrial grade,

sulfur-free sponge or brass sponge)
Impurities in the solder or on the surfaces to be soldered.

NOTE: Detinned tips are preventable with proper daily care!
c. CHOOSING THE CORRECT TIP CARTRIDGE AND GEOMETRY
MULTI-LEAD PACKAGES
Multi-lead components can be drag soldered using Metcal hoof-tip cartridges. Tin the working face of the tip with solder and gently drag it across the array of leads.
SMT REMOVAL
First, measure the dimensions of your component, then, use the SMTC charts that are available
from Metcal's web page (www.okinternational.com) to match component and tip dimension.
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