Ask Helena & Leo

Question: We are looking for a hot air rework system. Nothing fancy… just something that will help us to remove parts during rework. We currently have an OK Industries system MTR 4000 series with accessories. This works very well with what we need to accomplish.

The system is very old and we are looking for something to replace it. We have gone to some circuit card assembly vendors, but they have the large systems that are very expensive and not really what we are looking for. Can you make any recommendations, or give us some resources for finding something?

Answer: Here are a couple of links to companies that might have products to meet your needs.

Keep in mind the thermal profiling capabilities of any system being used and make sure the operators can demonstrate how to prepare a board and thermocouple the boards for evaluation.

http://www.hakko.com/english/products/desoldering/
http://www.hakkousa.com/products.asp?CID=50
http://www.paceusa.com/

Each of these companies has something that will work, but you will have to work with them to find what is best for your particular application.