After reflowing the soldered connection(s) with the 485 soldering system and the component has been removed from the board, residual solder remains in the barrel of the through-hole board. The 486 removes the residual solder from the board with an air hood, which is attached to the 486 via an air hose.

To use the 486, after the component has been removed from the board, place the appropriate air hood/nozzle over the component area and activate the 486 air unit with the 485 unit's footswitch. The (adjustable) air pressure will remove the solder from the through-hole barrels under the air hood.