It used to be that repairing a PCB or a circuit assembly was a fairly
simple task. Point-to-point wiring or the 2-sided PCBs - some even
with plated-through holes - could be reworked with just a good soldering
iron and some solder wick. Removing a leaded component (remember
when resistors had wires sticking out of the ends of them?) was
made simpler with a vacuum desoldering machine, but you could live
without it.
Fast forward to 2009. Finding even a single leaded component
on a PCB is rare, and even the connectors are surface mount. In
some aspects, surface mount is actually easier to rework and with
less chance of delaminating the substrate layers. However, the small
size of many surface mount components - same as small as 0201 (0.02"
x 0.01") - necessitates the use of a microscope and tweezers. Forget
have a cup of coffee in the morning because the magnified shake
factor will make work nearly impossible. You will end up knocking
nearby components off their pads. That is another bother of surface
mount - the small size requires heating with a hot air gun from
above or beneath, but either way you end up reflowing the solder
on surrounding components.
Fortunately, companies like the ones listed here offer products
and/or services to help you cope with this brave new world.
Solder Repair / Rework Products &
Services
Automating 0201 Rework | circuitsassembly.com/pdf/0304/0304airvac.pdf
Article from Circuits Assembly, by Brian Czaplicki.
Circuit Board Repair and Rework Guide | circuittechctr.com/guides/guides.shtml
From Circuit Technology Center, Inc.
Chip Quik SMT Rework Newsletter | chipquik.com/newsletters/cq_new_may_2004.htm
By Marvin Cohen.
Cleaning Flux Residue in Hand Solder Rework and the Effects
on SIR | circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/3851/95
From Circuits Assembly, By Curt Alexander.
Component-Level Electronics Repair in Space: Soldering
Tested in Reduced Gravity--An Update | grc.nasa.gov/WWW/RT/2007/Proc-Exp/06-REC-struk.html
From the CLEAR Project at NASA Glenn Research Center.
Component Rework: A Small World and Getting Smaller
| circuitsassembly.com/pdf/0301/0301walz.pdf Article from Circuits
Assembly, by Mark J. Walz.
Hand Solder Rework of Pb-Free PTH
and SMT Packages | circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/2578/95
Article by Alan Donaldson, in Circuits Assembly online.
Lead Free Rework and Repair of Ball Grid Arrays (BGAs)
| empf.org/empfasis/jan05/lfrework.htm Article from Empfasis,
a publication of the National Electronics Manufacturing Center of
Excellence.
Manual Soldering and Repair | tutorialsweb.com/smt/chapter7.htm
From Tutorials Web.
PCB Manufacturing and Rework Quality | focalspot.com/pdf/WP-FocalSpot-UsTech-Article-July-2005.pdf
Assurance Testing New price, performance and value criteria for
X-ray inspection systems, by Doug McClure, FocalSpot, Inc.
Precision PCB Services | pcb-repair.com | 530-534-1738
/ Oroville, CA Services, training, and consulting for the assembly,
rework, modification and repair of electronic assemblies. Specialties
include BGA rework, BGA re-balling; lead free and manufacturing
process implementation, quality improvement, and defect analysis.
RC Repair and Modification With Soldering |
rcvehicles.about.com/od/rcworkbench/a/soldering.htm Learn to
Solder and Do Your Own RC Repairs. By Michael James.
Rework and Repair | leadfreemagazine.com/pages/vol006/rework_vol6_1.htm
"What adjustments must rework system manufacturers make to their
equipment to respond to the needs of lead-free rework?", by Neil
O'Brien, Finetech.
Rework Management & Optimization | solder.net/smtmag.asp
Learning how to manage the amount of time and money spent on rework
can increase profitability and minimize vulnerability that is normally
associated with rework.
Reworking Lead-free Solder in PCB Assembly |
smt.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=Articles&Subsection=Display&ARTICLE_ID=178377
Article Surface Mount Technology (SMT), by Dongkai Shangguan, Ph.D.
Reworking Plastic and Other Heat-sensitive Components
| smt.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=Articles&Subsection=Display&ARTICLE_ID=175419
Article from Surface Mount Technology (SMT), by Bill Scheu.
SMT Package Rework | direct.xilinx.com/bvdocs/whitepapers/wp192.pdf
White paper by Quang (Peter) Nguyen, Xilinx.
SMT Rework | empf.org/empfasis/oct03/703smt.htm
Tech tip from Emphasis.
Soldering 101 | kingbass.com/soldering101.html
A soldering tutorial for the mechanically challenged.
Surface Mount Technology Repair Station and Method for
Repair of Surface Mount Technology Circuit Boards | freepatentsonline.com/4817851.html
United States Patent; Inventors: Kolesar, Michael J., Bois, Philip
J.; Assignee: Digital Equipment Corporation (Maynard, MA).
Waste Not, Want Not | circuitsassembly.com/pdf/0304/0304depot.pdf
Simplify BGA rework by reusing leftover solder - article from Circuits
Assembly, by Jeff Ferry.
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