Pressure-sensitive electric soldering/desoldering tool

Abstract

A hand-held electric soldering/desoldering tool has an elongated soldering tip secured to one end of an elongated handle in substantially coaxial alignment therewith by means of a three-point, spring loaded mechanical suspension arrangement resiliently securing the soldering tip to the handle for allowing excessive pressure applied to the handle to be taken up by the spring-loaded suspension thereby preventing such excessive pressure from being applied to a workpiece. The three-point suspension arrangement includes three support members fixed to the handle and having juxtaposed ends passing freely through aligned openings in a support plate attached to the soldering tip. Each support member has a head biased into engagement with the support plate by a coil spring surrounding the support member and disposed between the support plate and handle. Application of excessive pressure causes deflection of the tip from coaxial alignment with the handle, thus providing the operator with a visual indication of excessive pressure application. For desoldering the tip may be provided with a suction bore connected to a suction source in the handle by a flexible coupling arrangement.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.