A hot air soldering iron is a tool that uses a stream of hot air to melt solder and heat components, unlike a conventional contact soldering iron with a hot tip. Its main use is for soldering and especially desoldering surface mount components, known as SMD or "Surface Mount Device". These are miniature electronic components that do not have wire leads running through the circuit board, but are placed directly on the surface of the circuit board. The principle is that a stream of air, whose temperature and intensity can be controlled, is directed to a specific location. This heats all the pins of the component and the tin solder evenly at the same time, allowing it to be easily fitted or, conversely, safely removed with tweezers without damaging the surrounding components. In addition to working with electronics, it is also used for shrinking insulating drums, heating and removing adhesives or repairing plastic parts. It consists of a station where parameters are set and a handle connected by a hose that contains the heating element and is finished with a replaceable nozzle. The nozzles come in different shapes and sizes to precisely target the airflow to a specific type of part. This enables non-contact heat transfer that is gentle on sensitive components and circuit boards.
