Metcal’s latest Viper (TATC-608) range of soldering tips has been designed to make the traditionally difficult rework of fine-pitch components even faster, easier and safer on its MX-500TS station. When using these tips, operator productivity and pro-cess control will be significantly increased, along with cost effectiveness. The tips are designed to fit onto the rework station’s Talon handpiece. Because there are no screws or difficult alignment procedures, tips can be changed within seconds via a push-on, quick release system that does not require any form of special tooling. The Viper tips are half the thickness at the endpoint of other Metcal tips, and there-fore allow increased access to densely populated PCB areas and a dramatically improved line-of-sight viewing area, especially when reworking under a microscope. The tips can accommodate the soldering of a wide range of fine-pitch components including 10-pin SOICs, and devices up to 15.49mm in length. The use of thoughtfully designed tip geometries means that users can often rework several fine-pitch parts at a time without having to change the tip cartridge.
