A Comparison of Heat Sources for Soldering
This is just a rough overview of three different possiblities of heat sources.
A more detailed version of this comparison can be downloaded on the right side as a pdf-file.
HEAT SOURCE | LASER | SOLDER IRON | SPIRFLAME® / FLAME |
---|---|---|---|
SYSTEM COMPOSED OF |
Electronics, Laser & Optics. Complex system High cost |
Heating element & Solder tip very simple system Low cost |
Torch nozzle and gas generator Relatively complex system Medium cost |
HEAT TRANSFERRED BY MECHANICAL CONTACT | No | Yes | No |
HEAT TRANSFERRED CONTACTLESS | Yes | No | Yes |
HEAT TRANSFER / DENSITY |
Energy rich, concentrated laser beam releases very high density energy burst. Extreme rapid |
Basic heat energy is stored in tip copper mass Slow heating |
Hydrogen - Oxygen (2H + 1O) Flame. Punctual heat release. Quick heating. |
DOSING OF HEAT ENERGY | Yes | Yes | Yes |
HEAT TRANSFER INFLUENCED BY ... | |||
... CONTACT PRESSURE | No | Yes | No |
... MECHANICAL SURFACE CONDITIONS | Yes | Yes | No |
... THE MATERIAL COMPOSITION | Yes | Yes | No |
... VARIATIONS OF OPTICAL CONDITIONS OF SURFACE AND LIGHT PATH | Yes, heavy influences by surface reflection factor and flux vapours (clouding) | No | No |
... MECHANICAL WEAR & TEAR OF HEAT SOURCE | No | Yes, heavy influenced caused by tip oxidation (scaling) and mechanical wear | No |
COST OF CONSUMABLES FOR HEAT SOURCE | No significant 'consumption' of spare parts. Lasers usually have a long life | High mechanical wear of solder tip. Needs regular rework or replacement of tip and mechanical readjust of iron jig. | No significant 'consumption' of spare parts. Nozzles stay cold in operation. DI water (about 4 oz/hour) is the fuel. |
TECHNICAL COMPLEXITY OF HEAT SOURCE | High | Low | Medium |
HANDLING /ACCESSIBILITY TO JOB WITH HEAT SOURCE | Beam splitting and mirroring give some flexibility to adapt | Hot heating cartridge and thermal allowable tip length somehow restrict access to tight spaces. | Flexible. For Example the patented Flame Delivers Cylinder can easily move into cavities. |