Patent ID: 7679032

Claim:
A soldering or desoldering iron, comprising: a ceramic heater including a ceramic rod and a ceramic sheet wrapped around the ceramic rod, the ceramic heater further including a heating element portion and a temperature sensor portion, a heating element contained entirely in the heating element portion, a temperature sensor contained entirely in the temperature sensor portion, each of the heating element and temperature sensor including a pattern disposed on the ceramic sheet and between the ceramic rod and the ceramic sheet; a sleeve made of a heat conductive material and press-fitted on at least a portion of the ceramic heater that includes the entire heating element portion and a part of the temperature sensor portion, and the sleeve including a forward end that includes a heat-transferring face, wherein at least a part of the temperature sensor portion protrudes from the forward end of the sleeve; a replaceable soldering or desoldering tip including a base end and a heat-receiving face at the base end, wherein the heat-receiving face of the tip is in direct contact with the heat-transferring face of the sleeve to conduct heat generated by the heating element to the tip, and wherein the base end of the tip has a recess into which the temperature sensor portion protrudes, and wherein only the temperature sensor portion of the ceramic heater protrudes into the recess and the heating element portion of the ceramic heater is not in direct contact with the tip; and a clamp that secures the soldering or desoldering tip against the sleeve to maintain the contact between the heat-receiving face of the tip and the heat-transferring face of the sleeve.