Workplace Equipment

Optimally designed workplace equipment ensures not only the comfort of work, but also safety and ergonomics that make building, machining, repairing or maintaining electronic circuits smooth and easy. What matters here is not just the devices used (or even their broad range of functionalities and high prices), but the selection of adequate and specialised equipment facilitating the performance of tasks.

Workshop workstation management

First and foremost, attention should be paid to a convenient workspace layout and arrangement. Regardless of what electronics-related activities are to be performed at a given workstation, certain equipment elements remain unchanged. For example, for mechanical work (e.g. material machining, drilling, cutting, gluing), it is important to make sure that a (preferably adjustable) vice and restraining hand screws are available. The latter, although primarily associated with carpentry work, prove indispensable for such activities as prototyping, repairing housings or soldering large mechanical components.

The TME product catalogue also includes a range of space management solutions (partitioned organisers, bags and toolboxes, etc.) ensuring ergonomic spatial arrangement and efficient segregation of the materials used.

OHS and antistatic protection in the workshop

The TME product catalogue includes a full assortment of OHS-related products, not only for work in the field of electronics. These include limb and eye protection (glasses and goggles), face shields (e.g. in metalworking), helmets required for construction work, working at heights, as well as in warehouses and many other areas of industry. Products that are used in every workplace include safety signs as well as warning and marking tapes which ensure proper space management to provide a safe environment not only for workers but also for third parties. In this scope, TME also offers anti-slip and anti-fatigue mats (i.e. mats that enhance the comfort of work in a standing position).The OHS product category contains several essential products for service or maintenance professionals, or even amateur designers. Firstly, one should mention hearing protectors to be used when performing any work with power or pneumatic tools; they are usually used when drilling holes in walls with an impact drill, but should also protect our hearing during turning works, when using a table drill, a grinder (or even a mini-grinder), etc. Similarly, using respiratory protection equipment, e.g. dust masks, is recommended, as numerous materials used in electronic designs (PCB laminates and lead-containing binders are prime examples here) are harmful to health if they penetrate our lungs in the form of impurities or vapours.

Anti-static protection is equally important, as charges accumulated on a worker’s body, clothing or tools can cause permanent damage to numerous components. The basic ESD protection products include earthing straps, mats and sockets used to connect protective devices with protective systems. The TME product catalogue also includes chairs, cabinets, brushes, sponges, anti-static bags and films, as well as moisture indicators and absorbers plus dedicated cleaning and safety products for surface care in laboratories, service centres, etc.

Chemicals and materials useful in the workshop environment

Chemicals constitute another area of products that should be “at hand” in every workshop, as they are frequently used and significantly increase work comfort, quality and efficiency. They include thermal conductance pastes (used for heat sink installation) and compressed air (used for circuit pre-cleaning) – the latter can also be used as a freezing agent. A technician handling electronic equipment should also keep a stock of antioxidants (to improve the operation of contacts, potentiometers, etc.), as well as protective, shielding and insulating spray coatings. Those working with mechanical components also often use lubricants (e.g. silicone-based). Note that electronic circuits require application of dedicated cleaners, the use of which will not result in PCB contamination or electric charge build-up.

Adhesives, in particular epoxy, cyanoacrylate and silicone ones, constitute a wide range of products. A properly selected professional adhesive can in many cases eliminate connections made by means of mechanical components. There are also other highly specialised adhesives, e.g. thermal conductance glues designed to fix heat sinks without limiting their heat dissipation capabilities. Pourable sealing compounds constitute a product category related to adhesives – they are used to fabricate transformers and protect circuits from moisture and other environmental factors.

In a well-equipped workstation, felt-tip pens and permanent markers are a must. They are not only useful for making marks on various non-absorbent materials (glass, epoxy, plastic), but also prove to be an excellent aid in fabricating printed circuits.

Workshop tools

Selecting tools is not an easy task, as it depends not only on the type of activities for which they are to be used, but also on individual preferences. Nevertheless, one should always be aware of the tool manufacturer’s brand and the related quality of workmanship. Poorly designed tools can effectively hinder progress in any activity you perform. The TME product catalogue includes precision workshop tools available in diverse price ranges. While all of the items available in our product catalogue are practical, durable and efficient, it is important to remember that the best solution for professional use is to purchase higher-end tools with necessary certification (e.g. tools for handling live high-voltage components or tools designed especially for working at heights), whose design ensures trouble-free, frequent and long-term operation.

Tools for home, mechanical and car workshops

In the case of the majority of hand tools operated in workshops or at service stations, there are only little differences between tools for various fields of application. Any possible differences are usually related to the size of systems or equipment being repaired. Due to this, TME offers a diverse range of solutions from each cooperating supplier – from small screwdrivers and tweezers used in precision electronics service centres, to socket spanners used in car workshops or industrial automation systems.

Basic workshop equipment

A selection of handy screwdrivers is a must both for people working at plant workstations and making repairs in the field. In some cases, these screwdrivers should be designed for specialised purposes, e.g. for handling high-voltage or particularly precise equipment. Often, a tool set, i.e. a universal handle with a selection of diverse bits, is a very good solution. Here, the possibility of buying an additional set or even individual bits is the main advantage. For screwdrivers used in service repairs, the blade length is a parameter that is worth considering, as in household appliances and consumer electronics (but also in the automotive sector) screws are often located in deep recesses or hard-to-reach places. Our product catalogue features all these solutions, in sizes ranging from industrial screwdrivers to minute, watchmaker's instruments, and they are available in all common bit formats: straight, Philips, Pozidriv, Torx and Allen.

For heavy-duty work, e.g. in the fields of hydraulics, industrial automation or transport, a full set of spanners is a must. In addition to socket, open-ended and box spanners, i.e. basic tools for handling nuts, every technician must be equipped with universal adjustable spanners and a set of socket bits. In some cases, torque tools are also necessary, i.e. items that incorporate an adjustable coupling mechanism and facilitate the determination of an accurate feed force to avoid, among other things, damage to seals or failures caused by thermal expansion of metals.

Pliers are one of the most extensive and diverse group of hand tools. Depending on their design, they allow metal parts to be gripped, shaped and cut. They can also facilitate tightening screws and bolts. Similarly to screwdrivers, they come in a wide range of sizes – we offer both very powerful tools used on construction sites and in metalworking workshops, as well as precision work instruments, i.e. designed to trim electronic component wires and leads or to handle jewellery, etc. In addition to the basic multi-purpose pliers (commonly referred to as “combination pliers”) and the model equipped with long, slender jaws, every technician should have at least two types of cutting pliers, i.e. end- and side-cutting nippers.

While discussing workshop equipment or tool sets that should be present in every household, we must also mention such tools as hammers, files, knives (cutters), saws and their blades. They are also available in the TME product catalogue (in numerous variants). Obviously, when purchasing such tools, one must always bear in mind the fact that they are designed for specific applications, i.e. a metal file cannot replace a wood rasp, while, despite the weight of its shank, an axe-hammer does not have the same properties as a demolition hammer. Therefore, fields of applications for all tools offered by our company are precisely specified in their technical parameters.

Precision tools

Apart from small-bladed screwdrivers that are useful in the assembly and disassembly of compact electronic units, our precision tool range also includes tuning forks and tweezers. The former are used for making calibration-related settings. This range includes insulated instruments for handling installation potentiometers, often used in analogue circuits and sensor controllers.

The latter group includes tools, i.e. tweezers, facilitating the performance of diverse precision tasks. Their two key features are the jaw shape and material of manufacture. While selecting a set of tweezers for your workshop, bear in mind the type of applications they are selected for, i.e. positioning electronic components on a board or fixing them during soldering operations requires a tool with a delicate, properly contoured handle and heat-resistant design. Meanwhile, circuits containing capacitors that can still hold a charge should be cleaned with plastic or insulated long-arm tweezers.

Finally, if you equip your workstation, home or industrial workshop from scratch, a tool set is a recommendable solution. Such solutions are tailored to specific areas of expertise and include numerous (often more than a hundred) useful and cost-efficient tools.

Specialist tools

Above, you have read an overview of basic instruments that are present in any general-purpose workshop. However, the TME product catalogue also includes a number of specialised products, e.g. pneumatic tools commonly used in the automotive industry. Reamers, threading dies and threaders are also examples of tools used primarily by prototype makers, mechanics and technicians involved in low-volume production. Electricians and ICT system contractors can certainly be interested in the wide portfolio of wire strippers and crimping tools for cable lugs, connectors and cable ties, which significantly improve installation work efficiency.

Workshop power tools

Power tools are also an important piece of equipment used in workshops. Power screwdrivers, grinders and drills have become indispensable in numerous fields of application, including electronic engineering. Nowadays, these products are increasingly available in battery-powered variants, which greatly enhances increasing their functionality. The TME product catalogue features not only power tools themselves, but also their parts and accessories, e.g. consumables such as a broad assortment of specialised drill bits, cutting discs and grinding wheels.

Workshop equipment consumables

Numerous accessories used by electricians or electronics engineers are consumable. Such products include in particular insulation tapes, heat-shrink tubing, zip ties and abrasives. Obviously, the latter are also indispensable for specialists working in other fields, e.g. carpenters or plumbers. Note also that state-of-the-art adhesive tapes demonstrate mechanical properties. In the past, they may have been treated as a temporary solution, but with the development of adhesive substances, they are increasingly becoming a viable alternative to fixings made by means of screws, bolts and clamps. Therefore, adhesive tapes have become basic workshop accessories for professionals.

Workshop and lab instrumentation

The lab and workshop instruments included in the TME product catalogue are aimed mostly at electronics engineers, electricians, electromechanics and other professionals whose work depends on the quality of measuring instruments and other auxiliary equipment.

Stationary measuring instruments

An electronics engineer’s workshop cannot operate as required without such instruments as a multimeter and oscilloscope. Stationary (desktop) multimeters demonstrate high measurement accuracy and diverse functionality. They are mains-powered, usually equipped with several inputs and large, easy-to-read displays, and often come with digital interfaces for uploading measurement data to a computer.

As far as oscilloscopes are concerned, their range of applications is much broader. Nowadays, even basic devices intended for amateurs (or budget models for workshops and service centres) come with a wide measurement range, handle signals of several hundred MHz, perform automatic measurements (horizontal and vertical adjustment of the graph scale, determination of peak values, etc.), facilitate performing mathematical and logical operations on signals, etc. They are equipped with a number of communication ports and can frequently be operated remotely via a dedicated app, or transmit real-time data to analysis software. Nowadays, these devices are usually equipped with touchscreen displays for easier and faster operation.

Another device worth purchasing when handling digital circuits is a logic state analyser. They are primarily meant for diagnostics and facilitate simultaneous monitoring of several (or even a dozen) signals, recording their fluctuations over time, saving data to a file and ultimately: analysing protocols and transmitted information using dedicated software. Logic state analysers are particularly useful for fabrication and repairs of microprocessor systems, as well as when decoding unusual and poorly documented communication methods.

Multimeters and other portable meters

A multimeter is a basic measuring instrument that can be found in a workshop cabinet belonging to any professional, hobbyist or even amateur engineer. Digital multimeters feature wide voltage, current and electric resistance (for AC and DC) measuring ranges, as well as a number of additional functions, depending on the model, such as a thermometer, capacitor capacitance measurement tool, circuit continuity tester, etc. The TME product catalogue includes a rich selection of such products, from simple, general-purpose multimeters to precision meters designed to handle precise electronic circuits. Clamp meters are also available to measure current and voltage without connecting any probes to a circuit, which further enhances safety of their operation.

Portable measuring devices also include pyrometers and thermal-imaging cameras, air composition analysers and humidity monitoring devices. When performing maintenance and inspection activities, helpful equipment includes mobile borescopes (inspection cameras placed on a long probe) and specialist testers for electric, computer, phone networks, etc.

Workshop measuring accessories

In order to adequately equip a workshop, and adapt it to a specific type of work, you must often turn to complex, unusual or personalised measuring solutions. Therefore, such accessories as spare and general-purpose probes, grippers and measuring terminals (crocodile clips**)** will always come in handy. In some cases, banana sockets and plugs designed for DIY assembly are also helpful, which also applies to special cable hangers and stands facilitating workstation cabling management.

Built-in measuring equipment

Automation systems, transport applications and related fields require constant monitoring of parameters and power supply quality. Therefore, the TME product catalogue includes such measuring devices as panel-mounted (built-in) meters. They include ammeters, voltmeters, wattmeters, electric meters and network parameter analysers (especially important in three-phase installations). Measuring devices also come in the form of instruments that count operating time and pulses or measure reactive power or temperature, or their multifunctional and programmable variants.

Lab equipment

In addition to measuring equipment, an electronics engineer's workstation should be equipped with at least two other pieces of equipment, namely a laboratory power supply and a generator. The former facilitates electronic circuit diagnosing and prototyping, as it can supply a wide range of voltages, including symmetrical ones, thanks to which a circuit can be loaded with a constant current, etc. Generators and frequency meters are essential accessories in the process of developing and testing amplifiers, power circuits, and for any applications using radio-frequency waves.

Other laboratory equipment that often finds its way into workshops includes RLC bridges, spectrum analysers, calibrators or adjustable electronic loads. Obviously, the number of items that are indispensable in lab workshops is much larger and includes, for example, electric safety testers or data acquisition systems.

Handling circuits and prototyping

As far as soldering equipment is concerned the difference between amateur and professional tools is most clearly visible. Simple solutions, certainly adequate for a hobbyist setting or even for training purposes, can never meet the stringent requirements specified for equipment used in labs, service centres and production facilities. Professional soldering solutions for workshop use are characterised, above all, by rapid heating capabilities and precise temperature control, which ensures the repeatability of results and excludes the risk of thermal damage to electronic components. It also facilitates handling fillers with very high temperature requirements (lead-free).

Soldering equipment – necessary gear for each car workshop

Basic soldering equipment includes soldering irons with heating elements and transformer soldering irons. Simple and mains-powered soldering irons without any adjustment options and additional features are most cost-efficient. More expensive models come with soldering tip temperature adjustment options and sometimes with a built-in light source facilitating filler metal handling. The TME product catalogue also includes portable, gas- and battery-powered soldering irons that are frequently used for repair and installation jobs performed in the field or hard-to-reach places (e.g. in car electricians’ workshops).

Soldering stations come with a more extensive range of functionalities. Professional stations feature temperature adjustment options, but also facilitate thermal profile (temperature change over time) programming, and offer the ability to monitor soldering tip parameters in real time, etc. On the other hand, unsoldering stations designed for repair work are equipped with vacuum pump-based filler metal extractors. High-end units often come with a quick and contactless system for soldering tip replacement and offer a soldered component temperature monitoring function. Due to the widespread use of surface-mounted components (SMD), hot-air handling stations are becoming increasingly popular, as they ensure that electronic component assembly and disassembly processes do not require a high degree of operator’s precision and do not expose fragile components to mechanical damage.

Soldering accessories and materials for home and professional workshops

Selecting additional equipment for a soldering station largely results from individual users’ preferences. For example, the model of the working PCB holder and often also the types of soldering tips used will depend on how you like to work. The latter are available in dozens of universal (conical and bevelled) or specialist shapes. Nevertheless, every workplace should be equipped with a soldering mat, a soldering tip cleaner, unsoldering tape, kapton tape, adequate illumination, a magnifier or a microscope and a fume extractor. Optionally, a solder pot and a tin feeder may be worth considering. On the other hand, products that are selected to satisfy the needs related to the particular type of work performed include the filler metal (rod or paste) and related chemicals such as fluxes. The EU regulations are clear on the use of solder, i.e. for DIY-related use, only lead-free solder is allowed, whereas leaded solder can only be used in professional and industrial applications.

Welding equipment in mechanical workshops

Welding machines and gas torches are indispensable working tools for those whose tasks involve metal forming and metalworking. As far as this product range is concerned, TME offers inverter-based devices and plasma cutters. Our product catalogue comprises a diverse selection of protective masks and clothing.

Prototyping

The ultimate piece of workshop equipment and type of consumables are the materials required in the workshops of prototyping engineers, or even amateur electronics technicians, used for the fabrication of printed circuit boards.

The first step is to decide on the PCB fabrication technology. Copper laminates come in various thickness ranges or one- and two-sided variants, and some of them are factory-coated with photosensitive layers. Photo-transfer of PCB traces onto a laminate ensures high precision even in home conditions, but also requires a suitable image-setter and additional chemicals (primarily a developer). The etching process is similar to the processes in which circuits are applied to the laminate with the use of other methods. In some cases, satisfactory results can even be obtained by drawing the connections on the laminate by hand. After an etching bath, a PCB is obtained, which then has to be subjected to tinning, application of protective coating, and mechanical processing, i.e. trimming, grinding and drilling (in the case of the THT technology). All these work stages require dedicated measures and tools. Universal boards, i.e. ready-made circuits with holes in most popular pitch ranges or with soldering fields adapted to fixing standard SMD elements, are an alternative to manual printed circuit production.

Regardless of the solution selected, all necessary products are available in our product catalogue (see the “Prototyping” section).

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