Metcal soldering tip teardown (STTC-144)

[Free_WiFi]

https://imgur.com/a/pjxPLdi

[thm_w]

Nice photos.

There is another thread here: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/metcal-sttc-soldering-cartridgetip-teardown/
But yours shows the construction of the internal "pellet" that is clearly rounded on both sides and far from the tip.

Of course performance is still good, but metcal's image makes it look like the pellet extends all the way up the tip when it clearly does not. Maybe the photo is for another station style or tip geometry?

[Cerebus]

If you compare that illustration:



with what we're seeing here:



Then you can see that the pocket that takes the core slug, where the curie effect magic happens, extends at least as far, possibly further than, the raised ring on the actual tip.

On a tip I've got here (2.3mm wedge) that ring is only 9.5 mm away from the most distal part of the tip. The part of actual face where most of the soldering goes on is perhaps 8mm away. Don't forget that the tip is, as you can see, solid copper under the plating.

[Monkeh]

There are some constraints as to what you can achieve with different tip geometries..

[thm_w]

The slug goes slightly past the ring yes. But clearly different than the photo.
Now I'm thinking its just the fact that they colored the two portions copper color, and they aren't specifically saying its the same piece of metal. Simple artistic license for whoever drew the diagram, a technical drawing would show the difference.

[hurtmanissimo]

what kind of wire used?  i disassembled broken smtc heater (QFP) - wire insulation burnt, teared.  experiment to repair