Soldering Iron
(COMSOL Project)
Challenge
Result
Design and model a realistic soldering iron, with its geometry and thermal problems addressed. The model will then be analyzed to determine its practical use. The desired tip temperature is 625K with a heater cartridge of 50W. Additionally, the heater cartridge is 1/8” in diameter and 1” long, neglecting the power wires. Furthermore, ensuring that plastic handle does not melt and is safe to handle for a reasonable amount of time is of great importance. After designing the goal will be to apply the model to melt solder and check if the time is realistic.
Utilized built-in COMSOL materials in creating the realistic model. The materials were chosen based on low conductivity and high conductivity. Ramp functions were used to simulate a realistic heating up and once the tip temperature was met, a bang bang controlled was implemented to keep the temperature at 625K. This essentially turned the heater cartridge on and off as seen in slide four. The heating time was one minute and allowed for a handle operating temperature of about 15 minutes. Finally, the soldering of two 10-gauge wires was simulated where the solder melted almost instantly based on checking the temperature.