When Wilson Process Systems decided to upgrade their soldering irons to handle lead free work, they shortlisted the ERSA I-CON from Blundell and another soldering iron from a well known manufacturer and put them to a head-to-head trial.
WPS have been providing contract manufacturing services to the Industry since the early 1980s. They assemble some quite complex through-Hole and Surface Mount PCB assemblies and hand soldering continues to be an essential part of their production process.
The investigation began at Nepcon 2006, after joint MD’s Nick and Tim Wilson had concluded that their existing soldering irons were not up to the job; Nick commented: “Initial lead-free trials with our existing irons had shown that the tips were oxidising and burning out very quickly at lead free temperatures”.
Interestingly, both shortlisted irons had 150-Watt elements, but the non-ERSA version employed a cartridge system that combines the heating element with the tip to form a single, throwaway item. In contrast, the Ersa I-CON uses technology that allows the tip to be replaced without changing the element.
Wilson tasked different operators, soldering different board types, to trial both irons over a number of weeks. |
At the end of the trials, the operators were unanimous that the I-CON would be their iron of choice. They felt not only could it deliver the power quickly, it didn’t drop away during continuous use. This provided the Management with a “Win-Win” situation as the I-CON tips cost at least 50% less than the cartridge style tip used by the other manufacturer.
Thanks to the special ERSADUR plating, ICON tips last extremely well in the harsh lead-free environment that they are specifically designed for.
Forty I-CON stations were purchased from Blundells immediately after the trial, along with an I-Set Tool that allows the user to download settings from one station to as many other stations as is required. “This is a useful feature, preventing operators from adjusting temperature settings themselves, giving us total process control - essential for ISO9000. Most of our irons are set to 370°C, with just one or two around the 390°C for high mass applications” says Nick Wilson.
Business is extremely good at present for the Hastings based CEM, as they have just extended their production facilities by acquiring a 5,000 square foot unit to expand their high-volume SMT line.
Wilson Process Systems can be contacted on 01424 722222
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