All-Spec News

(special thanks to Hakko for guest blogging the content below!)

Time and time again we have seen workbenches overflowing with tools needed for circuit board assembly or repair. Look at the component rework process and you’ll usually see a workbench with a soldering iron, of course, but you will also need a desoldering tool for the through-hole components that are still on some boards or for BGA site cleanup. You’ll also see a set of hot tweezers to remove small SMD chip components, and if they are heat sensitive devices that don’t allow conductive rework, or small packages like QFNs or micro BGAs, you’ll find a hot air rework tool on the workbench as well.

That’s a lot of tools to buy and maintain for any workbench.

HAKKO was determined to make a change for the better by providing the capabilities of all those aforementioned tools but in a single compact system with the reliability and quality that HAKKO is known for.

In July 2011, HAKKO introduced the HAKKO FM-206 Rework System.

The Hakko FM-206 Rework System is a three-port system that allows you to connect any of the Hakko FM Series handpieces, making it one of the most versatile rework systems in the market today. This versatility allows you to customize a handpiece configuration that addresses YOUR circuit board assembly or repair requirements. Should your needs change in the future, equipment costs are reduced because now you purchase just an optional handpiece kit instead of a whole new piece of equipment.

New to the Hakko FM-206 is a full graphic user interface, which makes this the most user friendly system HAKKO has brought to market to date. No more alarm clock displays! The new graphic screen allows you to see the settings and operating status of each of the three ports simultaneously. The quick access menu system and intuitive user interface makes changing various settings or parameters very simple with minimal effort, and each handpiece port allows for 3 independent presets to be set. These presets can even be programmed with a custom label for easy recognition by the user. Presets can be called up with a single touch of a button.

The performance of the HAKKO FM-206 is second to none. The soldering features are based on the reliable and high performance FM-203 Dual Port Soldering Station, which meets or exceeds all IPC J-STD-001 requirements and is a top performing soldering station for temperature stability, accuracy, and recovery. The HAKKO FM-206 uses the same durable T15 Series Composite soldering iron tips that provide long life, are low cost, and are quick to change without tools.

Included in the HAKKO FM-206 is an air system that provides high end desoldering performance similar to the top of the line Hakko FM-204 Desoldering Station and uses the same FM-2024 Desoldering Handpiece that can be used in a pencil or gun type configuration. The FM-2024 Desoldering Handpiece also uses N3 Series Composite desoldering nozzles that have similar durable construction to the T15 soldering iron tips, but also include features to reduce down time for cleaning and mitigate nozzle clogging. The FM-2024 also makes use of low cost filter cartridges which make filter changing a breeze.

The air system in the HAKKO FM-206 has also been tapped to provide SMD hot air rework capabilities from the same unit but using the new HAKKO FM-2029 Single Hot Air Handpiece. This very slim and light handpiece uses the new N4 Series Composite hot air nozzles which can heat to over 1000°F in seconds and come in standard sizes of 2, 4, 6, and 8mm to cover a wide range of the various smaller packages seen on circuit boards today. The HAKKO FM-206 also allows for the manual operation of the hot air tool with a simple set temperature and start/stop function, or you can set a 3-step profile based on target times or temperatures to more closely replicate the original assembly process of the board. The digital airflow system allows for improved repeatability in the process by removing the variation from tolerance of the traditional ball flow meter which leads to improved repeatable results when doing hot air rework on sensitive components.

The HAKKO FM-206 also integrates with the HAKKO FR-830 Pre-Heater or the HAKKO FR-870 IR Pre-Heater, making the setup a complete SMD rework system.

The versatility of this system is extended by allowing the use of either of HAKKO’s SMD hot tweezer handpieces… the HAKKO FM-2022 Parallel Remover, or the HAKKO FM-2023 Mini Hot Tweezer. Both of these hot tweezers are excellent for removing small chip components and have a variety of tip sizes available.

What more could you ask for in a rework system? How about the ability to provide a higher power handpiece for the heavy ground plane work that is showing up on your workbench and your regular soldering iron doesn’t quite get the job done. Expand the HAKKO FM-206 once again and use the HAKKO FM-2030 Heavy Duty Soldering Iron and the new HAKKO T22 Series Heavy Duty Composite tips. These tips offer twice the power of the HAKKO T15 Series Composite tips, a higher allowable max tip temperature of over 900°F if so desired, and the same durability for long tip life.

And unlike other systems on the market today, the HAKKO FM-206 allows for simultaneous operation of all three ports. No port switching needed due to design deficiency. This allows you to use two soldering irons, a hot air pencil and tweezers, or even two heavy duty soldering irons at the same time.

The HAKKO FM-206 also has nitrogen capable handpieces available as well, and includes all the standard safety and tip conservation features such as auto-power off, sleep mode to reduce oxidation of the tip and extend tip life, and low temp alarms to ensure good solder joint formation. All features are also password protected to provide process control either in a completely locked down state or in a partial locked state that prevents tampering with certain critical parameters and settings. No locking plugs to attach or key cards that can get lost or broken.

There is a lot to see in the HAKKO FM-206. You should check one out today and experience the quality and performance of a genuine HAKKO product. Contact Hakko or All-Spec to set up a demonstration.

All-Spec Industries is an authorized distributor of Hakko soldering, desoldering and rework tools including tips and cartridges. Hakko has been producing quality soldering stations, fume extraction systems and more for over 50 years.

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