Where do you find these huge thermal mass PCBs though? I never even really saw them. Even power supplies I see (say sorensen) have bus bars clamped to the PCB with bolts.
I feel like unless there is laminate that can decompose, heat control is just irrelevant so long you don't char things.
Because a few months ago I made a post about these kinds of irons some where here, with the same plan to maybe contemplate a external controller on a high power iron, but I thought that I would never end up using it... I have one of those old school gas heated irons (you can aim a torch near a fire brick and rest the iron there to heat it up perodically) and it was good enough, even though I Have NO idea what the temp is, I know its not melting metal or vaporizing anything, so whatever.. at best maybe there will be less solder migration, but that is easy to basically grind off with a burr on a dremel and carefully wet sand off. If you use lead free, its not much different then any welding prep operation. If you use lead then its hazardous and there is a benefit I guess.
Only thing I thought maybe is copper structure seams, like for RF, but even that... preforms + heat I can do already, and the copper is so expensive on those projects my stomach is already turning without thinking I have to buy another tool.
Flashlight/LED power boards I guess, but I do those on a hot plate usually, they are simple.
Are you like working with industrial drives, inverters, etc? I don't have much experience with those, maybe its more common there? Like I think its cool but that will be a blue moon when I come across actually needing it... I figure its gotta be in real expensive exotic high dollar value stuff.... but I don't know which one it would even be in, and I know for a fact buisness people are super stingy with copper weight.
Like the American Beauty youtube vids, it looks to me like there is basically VERY little requirement for a maximum temperature on most of their work. They seem to control the issue by using the correct amount of solder to prevent flow, and like joint design. Most of it seems like "oh just buff it off if you get some oxidation from over heating if anyone even cares" and almost all of their examples seem to be very receptive of heat sinking protection if required via cooling putty.
Do you have a example of a high density sensitive circuit board that would benefit from more then say 150W ? To me it feels like technology is just not there yet. I heard EV manufacturers are interested in boards like that though, for motor controllers... but I think its kinda R&D at this point
And in tons of examples, the product comes out way neater if you use preforms, induction/resistance heating, rather then using a soldering iron for transfer that leaves a ugly blob at the contact point!
I do however support a 1/4 inch copper thick PCB with jumbo sized standard through hole parts on it with 3/8 inch bus bar leads (555 timer's big brother). But that is scifi