How to Use Hot Air Gun to Solder and Remove Components

A hot air gun, also known as a heat gun, is a versatile tool commonly used in various applications.

What is a hot air gun used for?

Hot air gun is used for various purposes, including:

• Soldering and desoldering components on circuit boards.
• Shrinking heat shrink tubing for electrical insulation.
• Removing paint, adhesive, or stickers from surfaces.
• Plastic welding and shaping.
• Drying and curing materials like paint or adhesives.
• Softening or loosening materials, such as frozen pipes or stubborn bolts.

Please note that safety precautions should be followed when using a hot air gun due to the high temperatures involved.

2. How to use a hot air gun

The correct use of a hot air gun is directly related to soldering effect and safety. In practical applications, incorrect use of a hot air gun can lead to increased defects, damage to components, damage to circuit boards and even personal safety.

Some precautions for the correct use of a hot air gun are as follows

(1) When placing and setting up the hot air gun, do not place any objects 15cm in front of the air nozzle, especially flammable gases (tina water, washing water, ethanol, acetone, chloroform, etc.).

(2) When soldering ordinary lead solder, the general temperature setting is 300~350°C and the air pressure is 60~80 levels.

(3) Install the appropriate air nozzle according to the actual size of the part to be soldered, as shown in the table below.

• Select the appropriate wind pressure according to the actual soldering environment as shown in the table below.

3. How the hot air gun works

Different hot air guns work in different ways. The basic working principle is to use a micro blower as the air source, use an electric heating wire to heat the air stream, and make the heat of the air stream reach a high temperature of 200°C to 480°C, which is the temperature at which solder can be melted. Then the parts to be soldered and the working area are heated through the tuyere guide to work.

In addition, in order to adapt to different working environments and to achieve the purpose of measuring and controlling stable temperature in current general circuits, some also use a directional sensor installed inside the handle of the hot air gun to confirm the working position of the handle and to determine whether the hot air gun is in different working states: working, standby, off.

In the next, we will share the content of methods and techniques for soldering and disassembling components using a hot air gun. Don’t forget to follow AiXun.