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Today, Phonefix will be exploring the two different soldering tools: hot air rework stations and soldering stations, discussing the pros and cons of each, and things to consider before purchasing, helping you decide which tool is right for you.
Rework Stations and Soldering Stations
A rework station, also known as a hot air rework station, only comes with a hot air gun. While the exact options vary, there is not much more to the base product, aside from maybe a few different nozzles.
A soldering station comes with a few different parts, even in the base model, including:
A soldering iron, perhaps with several tips
A soldering iron stand
A sponge, either conventional or bronze
2.Size
A rework station’s size and weight are generally greater than that of a soldering station, making it more difficult to move and use. In contrast, a solder station is far easier to move and use wherever.
3. Usage:
Rework stations work under different circumstances, providing a gentler approach, and being capable of working with almost any component. However, rework stations lack the same precision that makes a soldering station so useful.
A rework station is much better for less sophisticated work, such as melting solder in a larger area. Due to the ability to heat large areas safely, a rework station is suited for surface mounting and other jobs where the components involved are delicate and can potentially be damaged by a soldering iron.
Soldering stations tend to be more useful for precision work, such as through-hole soldering or more intricate work.
a soldering station for:
Connecting wires
Circuit board soldering, specifically through-hole soldering
Making a small repair to jewelry, pipes, and other pieces of metal
For jobs requiring precision, such as the previously mentioned through-hole soldering of a circuit board, soldering stations are exactly what you want. Such jobs demand precise soldering and control, which is perfect for a soldering station. It works best in situations where a very small spot needs working on for both soldering and desoldering.
Things To Consider Before Purchasing The Best Hot Air Rework Station:
1. Heat up time
The quick heat-up time makes sure you do not waste much time warming up. Also, it is advisable to look for a hot air rework station that comes with faster heat recovery ability.
2. Temperature control
The minimum temperature found in most hot air rework stations is 100ºC. It allows you to use the rework station with heat shrink. The maximum temperature can be up to 450℃. The maximum temperature of 350ºC is considered satisfactory for most projects.
3. Nozzle
The tiny nozzles are beneficial for focusing air over a small chip. On the other hand, bigger nozzles are beneficial for drenching a big area like huge heat pad sinks. The facility of interchangeable nozzles is available in decent quality hot air rework stations.
4. Airflow
The minimum specification for airflow is at least 20 liters/minute. In addition to the efficiency of airflow, it is important to check whether the airflow rate is adjustable or not.
The cheap quality rework stations do not provide a facility to automatically adjust the airflow. With such tools, you have to manually guess a lower temperature whenever you want to adjust the airflow.
Consequently, it leads to errors and decrement in speed. The benefit of high-quality hot air rework stations is accurate airflow and reliability.
5. Protection
The overheating protection is the best feature to consider when it comes to safety. You must ensure that it has an ESD safe design for protection.
I2C 2SEN Micro Nano Soldering Station is another good choice for you, it comes with T245-A general purpose soldering handle and 3pcs C245 soldering tips, and achieves Fast 1S Rapid Heating.
