History of Soldering

Soldering – an almost never ending story for more than 5,000 Jahren …

Man had scarcely learned how to use metals for his purposes when the desire to join them arose. Many of the pieces of jewelry, tools and weapons we know from the Bronze Age were given their utility and beauty by soldering.

 

Today, it is difficult to say who first discovered how to "glue" metals. One thing is certain; the goldsmiths of ancient Egypt knew how to join gold more than 5,000 years ago. Their colleagues in Troy were also masters of soldering long before the ancient Teutons could even dream of such handicraft. Soldering "came of age" when tin was discovered as a soldering metal - and that was 4,000 years ago!

 

From then on, the world´s soldering technology was on its way upwards. It first spread around the Mediterranean. The Cretans showed it to the Etruscans, who then taught it to the Romans, Tunisians and Spanish, followed by many others, including the less developed cultures of the time - the Swiss, Bohemians, Hungarians, Teutons and Scandinavians. The art of soldering was improved and sophisticated from culture to culture, generation to generation. Looking back, the most impressive achievements can be attributed to the ancient Romans. They soldered 400 km long water pipes made of lead with seams which could withstand 18 Atm (!), and conjured up stoves and tubs made of bronze, not to mention the arts of their goldsmiths and armorers.

 

Continous Development and Perfection of Soldering Technology

The last century, in particular, not only witnessed an increased improvement in the craftsman´s soldering skill, but also our understanding was refined in respect to the scientific interactions which take place during soldering. Consequently, soft soldering developed into an independent field of production engineering in the electronics industry. It combines the disciplines of mechanics, chemistry, physics and metallurgy, to an equal extent. Ernst Sachs, founder of Ersa (a name comprised of the beginning letters of his first and last names) contributed to this development. In 1921, more than 80 years ago, he developed the first electric and mass-produced soldering iron for industry. Driven by a desire to innovate, we have devoted ourselves to the continuous development and perfection of soldering technology.