Everything about Rework (electronics)
Refinishing operation of an electronic printed circuit board assembly
In electronics, rework is repair or refinish of a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly, usually involving desoldering and re-soldering of surface-mounted electronic components (SMD). Mass processing techniques are not applicable to single device repair or replacement, and specialized manual techniques by expert personnel using appropriate equipment are required to replace defective components; area array packages such as ball grid array (BGA) devices particularly require expertise and appropriate tools. A hot air gun or hot air station is used to heat devices and melt solder, and specialised tools are used to pick up and position often tiny components. A rework station is a place to do this work—the tools and supplies for this work, typically on a workbench. Other kinds of rework require other tools. Wikipedia →
🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path
- Read the overview: Rework (electronics)A 5-minute orientation
- Pick up a classic book: IPC-7711/7721D Rework, Modification and Repair of Electronic Assemblies (German)The most-reprinted book on the subject
- Read the landmark paper: Developing a Rework Process for Underfilled Electronics Components via Integration of TRIZ and Cluster AnalysisCited 15 times
- Go sideways: Surface-mount technologyA closely related topic
- Go sideways: DesolderingA closely related topic
📖 Definitions
No dictionary entry for this exact phrase.
🗂️ The subject at a glance
🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)
📚 Books worth reading
- 📕IPC-7711/7721D Rework, Modification and Repair of Electronic Assemblies (German)IPC International · 2025
- 📕IPC-7711/7721D-JP Rework, Modification and Repair of Electronic Assemblies (Japanese)IPC International · 2024
- 📕Rework, modification and repair of electronic assembliesIPC (Organization) Repairability Subcommittee · 1988
- 📕IPC-7711/7721D-CN Rework, Modification and Repair of Electronic Assemblies (Chinese)IPC International · 2024
- 📕IPC-7711/21D-TH Rework, Modification and Repair of Electronic Assemblies (Thai)IPC International · 2025
- 📕Solder joint rework simulation analysis · 1990
Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.
🔗 Related topics
- Surface-mount technology Surface-mount technology (SMT), originally called planar mounting, is a method in which the electrical components are mounted directly onto the surface…
- Desoldering In electronics, desoldering is the removal of soldered components from a circuit board for troubleshooting, repair, replacement, and salvage. Desoldering…
- Ball grid array A ball grid array (BGA) is a type of surface-mount packaging (a chip carrier) used for integrated circuits. BGA packages are used to permanently mount…
- Reflow soldering Reflow soldering is a process in which a solder paste (a sticky mixture of powdered solder and flux) is used to temporarily attach anywhere from one to…
- Flip chip Flip chip, also known as controlled collapse chip connection or its abbreviation, C4, is a method for interconnecting dies such as semiconductor devices…
- Reflow oven A reflow oven is a machine used primarily for reflow soldering of surface mount electronic components to printed circuit boards (PCBs). In commercial high-volum…
- Soldering station Contact soldering stations A soldering station is a multipurpose power soldering device designed for electronic components soldering. This type of equipment…
- Soldering Soldering (US: /ˈsɒdərɪŋ/; UK: /ˈsoʊldərɪŋ/) joins two metal surfaces using a filler metal called solder. The surfaces are heated, melting the solder,…