TIP HEATER CARTRIDGE AND SOLDERING IRON FOR USE THEREWITH

摘要

A tip heater cartridge and a soldering iron with handpiece for use therewith in which, according to a preferred embodiment, a precision molded plastic sleev e is provided on the tip heater cartridge body. The sleeve is provided with an axially extending, radially projecting key which assures accurate tip-to-handpiece orientation and also produces a rigid mechanical interlock between the tip heater cartridge and the handpiec e to ensure that there is no axial rotational or lateral movement or load transmitted fr om the tip of the tip heater cartridge to the electrical connector. In a particularly preferre d arrangement, the end of the key acts with the handle keyway to prevent over insertion of the tip heater cartridge into the handpiece, which could damage the electrical connector assembly, and an O-ring on the electrical connector assembly acts to produces a seal relative to the body of the cartridge that prevents solder fumes from flowing into the connector assembly. The O-ring also serves to assist in retaining the cartridge within the handle an d provides additional lateral support to the cartridge.