Metcal Blog

Metcal has announced that Paul Wood, Advanced Product Applications Manager, will participate in an expert panel conducted by Global SMT & Packaging Magazine during SMTA International. The panel, entitled, “Rework and Repair – Challenges,” is scheduled to take place Wednesday September 28, 2016.

Reworking PCB assemblies is becoming increasingly challenging. This expert panel will discuss some of the techniques and processes for dealing with: 

Mr. Wood is an industry expert in the BGA/CSP/Array package rework arena. With 34 years of service at OK International, Inc., and 43 years’ experience in the electronics industry, Mr. Wood has used his global experience in rework to keep electronic assembly manufacturers on the leading-edge of technology.

We're very excited to introduce the newest Regional Sales Manager for Metcal, Gabriel Ortiz.

Solder tip life is a constant discussion among users of hand soldering for almost all applications. Whether you're in production, rework, or R&D, the cost of tips and their longevity impacts the ROI of your overall soldering investment.  While operators almost always want the tip to be hot, hot, hot, and all the time, using a soldering iron sleep stand can significantly improve the life of your solder tips.

When used when the handpiece is idle, a Solder Sleep Stand automatically reduces the power supplied to the hand piece, leading to:

• Reduced idle temperatures
• Slower chemical reactions
• Less inter-metallic formation
• Less de-wetting
• Longer tip life

Take a look at this chart that illustrates the effect of using the sleeper stand for just a few minutes. 

You can see how this can significantly reduce the power consumption as well, meaning for a production environment, it can affect your total ROI.

Theoretical Example:

If you have 5 soldering irons each in production using on average 40 watts per hour over an 8 hours day your consumption is: