BLACK OXIDE – A scratch resistant black surface finish with some corrosion resistance which can be applied to steel parts.
BRACKET – On a Flotron Extractor, the bracket is the part which bears against the electronic chassis during the pulling of the board. It is custom designed for each particular application.
CHEM FILM – A chromate conversion coating used on aluminum to protect against corrosion and yet still have good electrical conductivity and ESD qualities.
DELRIN – An injection molded acetyl plastic used in Flotron Extractor handles.
DOUBLE HANDLE EXTRACTOR – Double Handle Extractors are used where a very high extraction force is needed (usually because of high pin count connectors). Flotron will recommend a single handle extractor for extraction forces up to 25 pounds and double handle extractors for extraction forces from 25 to 50 pounds. Contact Flotron about special designs for higher force.
ELECTRO POLISH – The process of smoothing a metal surface anodically in a concentrated acid or alkaline solution. Flotron often uses electropolishing on stainless steel parts to improve corrosion resistance, ease of cleaning and appearance.
ESD(Electrostatic Dissipation) – Many electronic components are sensitive to electrostatic voltages, especially if the voltage is suddenly discharged through an arc. To avoid this problem, many materials have been developed to either minimize the production of the electrostatic voltage or to slowly allow the voltage that is developed to discharge to ground (which is ESD). Flotron can provide conductive plastic Handles and other parts such as ground straps to help solve your ESD issues. See the Technical Section for more information on ESD.
ESD HANDLE – This optional handle is manufactured with a special conductive acetyl plastic. This will allow any static charge to be conducted to a wrist strap or an optional ground strap on the extractor.
EXTENDED TRAVEL HANDLE – The standard Flotron Handles have about .31″ of travel-more than enough to disengage most types of electrical connectors. However, for some connectors and also for some specially designed features such as cam actuated grips, a longer travel is required. Flotron Handles can easily be modified for up to about .470″ stroke.
EXTRACTION FORCE – This is the force required to pull the board out of the chassis. It is mostly dependent on the number of connectors, the pin count on each connector and the type of connector. It is typically under 25 pounds but can be as high as 75 pounds.
EXTRACTOR – A hand tool used to pull printed circuit boards and/or modules out of a chassis. It does this in a linear and very controlled manner to ensure that no undue stresses are put on the board/module or the chassis.
HANDLE – A mass produced plastic grip on an Extractor that allows a normal hand squeeze to create a high pulling force (up to 25 pounds). Contact Flotron about special designs for higher force.
HANDLE COVER – A metal part used to cover some possible pinch points on the sides of the Handle.
INSERTER – An Inserter is a hand tool used to install printed circuit boards/modules into a chassis. It has the reverse operation of an Extractor.
PICK-UP BAR – The Pick-Up Bar is the part of an extractor which attaches or hooks onto the printed circuit board/module and pulls on it. It is custom designed for your application.
POWDER COAT – Powder coat paint is applied as a powder then heated to its melting point to fuse the powder into a tough homogeneous coating. It is more durable than most paints.
RETURN SPRING – The return spring is located in the handle and is used to return the extractor to its rest position (similar to the way spring loaded pliers return to the open position). Both normal and low force springs are available.
TRIGGER – The Trigger is the part of the Handle which is moved by your four fingers. When you move the Trigger, you pull on the board.
TRIGGER LOCK – The Trigger Lock latches the trigger in the retracted position. When it is desirable to keep the printed circuit board/module attached to the Extractor after it is out of the chassis, it is possible to design the Extractor so that it captures the board when the Extractor is retracted. Then by adding the Trigger Lock, which latches the trigger in the retracted position, the board remains safely attached to the Extractor instead of possibly dropping off onto the floor.
