How to use the BAG Rework station

1. What is a rework station

Integrated circuits can easily become partially or completely inoperable due to damaged solder or incorrect wiring connections, so it’s a wise choice to use AiXun (BGA) rework stations to solve these problems, not only saving you time, but also protecting environment. In addition, the cost of soldering is far less than the cost of buying the product. So it is a better choice to have your own rework station.

What is a rework station?

It refers to the process of refurbishing or repairing electronic PCB, which usually involves desoldering and re-soldering of electronic components installed on the surface. 

2. Reasons for mobile phone rework

A. The core of all modern electronic products is the printed circuit board (PCB), and the surface of these circuit boards is usually equipped with surface mount devices (SMD). With the development of the economy, electronic products are also known as the necessary hardware in people's lives, so manufacturers use mass production technology assisted or fully automated the production, and mobile phone circuits are also assembled on a large-scale, fast-paced and competitive scale. 

B. This process means there are failures in soldering, such as solder bridges or dry joints, as well as faulty assembled components that may contain expensive parts and become unusable on electronics unless they can be properly repaired. Most importantly, vibration, shock, and repeated exposure to hot and cold environments can also cause serious damage to IC, PCB, and SMD once electronics are used.

C. Under the above circumstances, the damaged mobile device cannot be patched or repaired by reinserting it into its original assembly process. However, with a well-designed rework station and properly trained service technicians, the rework process can often enable equipment restore to its full operational capability. In fact, according to numerous sources, the success rate for phone rework tends to be between 60% and 90%. Even at the lower level market, these rates yield very good returns for manufacturers and consumers.

3. How to use the BAG rework station:

BGA rework station is also called SMD rework station. It is a mobile phone repairing device that blows hot air to disassemble and solder any electronic components or ICs on the motherboard, such as microphones, charging ports, etc. Now back to the topic we are going to discuss today - how to use a BGA rework station?

There are some cautions you must keep in mind when using a BGA rework station, it's especially important to set up the air and heat values in the proper way!

A. Air setting of BGA rework station:

You'd better keep the air setting just above the minimum level. Because if there is more air during welding, it can remove or damage the surrounding parts. Otherwise, if there is no air, it may cause the coil inside the handle to burn. So you need to set it up correctly to keep a small amount of air going out with the heat.

B. Heat settings of BGA rework station:

In most cases, cell phone repairers set the temperature of the BGA rework station at 300-400 degrees, it depends on the size of the IC. If it's analog, there is no indicator light or display but a knob, then set the heat knob at 3.5.

Of course, these two settings can also vary according to different situations and jobs. Besides, you need to choose the appropriate tip for the job, no matter it is wide or narrow. And during soldering process, you need to use flux which is a liquid paste that is applied to the edges of the IC before heating or removing the IC. So, if you have everything set up correctly and are ready to use the flux, the next step is to turn on the button of the BGA rework station and move its handle so that the heat on the tip dissipates in a circular motion within the edge of the IC. If you just want to heat the IC, just keep moving it 2 or 3 times. If you want to remove it, keep moving until the IC is released from the board, then lift it up with tweezers. If it's not loose, don't try to force it out as it may damage the points below the board. 

For newbies and DIY enthusiasts, it is better to practice on scrapped circuit boards before the actual operation, and while practicing, you should try to watch as many videos of soldering professionals as possible. When you are familiar with the whole soldering process, you will feel that your soldering skills have improved a lot when you start soldering.