Tools and Materials

Circuit board repair and rework are labor-intensive operations that rely more on individual operator skills than automation. Despite the availability of excellent repair tools, many in-house repair operations are poorly equipped. 

Below is a comprehensive list of tools and materials for performing high-reliability circuit board repair, rework, and modification.

Tools, Materials and Supplies Abrader Mild abrasive for removing oxides and contaminants. Ball Mills, Abrasives, Cutting Tools Ball mills, abrasives and cutting tools for working on circuit boards. Abrasive Pads Light duty abrasive scrubbing pads to remove contamination and blend surfaces. BGA Component Reball Fixtures BGA reball fixtures precision-built for a specific BGA component. BGA Rework System Hot air or infrared BGA component rework system. Bonding Film Dry film adhesive used to bond lifted lands, pads and conductors. Bonding Iron, 120 VAC Delivers the optimal heat for curing adhesive bonding film. Bonding Tips Bonding Tips used to bond adehesive backed Circuit Frames. Buss Wire, 30 AWG Used to create buss connection during plating. Circuit Bond Epoxy Clear, superior strength epoxy in two-compartment plastic packages. Circuit Bonding System System to repair damaged conductors, BGA pads, and SMT pads. Flex-Rack PCB Holder Sturdy rack for PCBs used for rework and positioning. Circuit Frames Circuit Frames for surface mount pad, BGA pad and conductor repair. Circuit Tracks Copper conductors to repair circuit board damage including traces and conductors. Cleaning Brushes Disposable brushes for solvent cleaning and application of coatings. Coating Remover Pen For precise removal of silicone, acrylic and urethane coatings from circuit boards. Color Agents One part, semi-paste ink used to tint the color of epoxy and for direct printing on circuit board surfaces. Conductive Pen Pen dispenser for creating conductive silver traces. Cleaner General purpose cleaner for removing contamination. Cleaning System Batch or inline cleaning system for removing fluxes and contamination. Coatings Replacement soldermask and conformal coatings. Continuity Meter Meter and probes to test for electrical continuity. Cutters and Pliers Precision grade cutters and pliers. Desolder Braid Woven copper wire designed to wick solder from surfaces and holes. Desolder Tool/System Manual or powered desoldering tool or system. End Mills Designed for end cutting and hole boring. Eyelet Press Heavy duty eyelet press designed to set and form eyelets in circuit boards. Eyelets Copper and brass eyelets electroplated with tin designed for repair of plated through holes. File High carbon steel needle file perfect for all kinds of detail work. Foam Swab, Small Swabs for use with solvents and application of color agents and epoxies. Gloves Disposable, puncture-resistant gloves designed for handling mild chemicals. Gold Contact Plating Kit Kit to repair damaged gold contacts and pads on circuit boards. Heat Gun Temperature adjustable heat gun used for a range of heating applications. Heat Shield Kit Includes materials to protect heat sensitive area of a PCB during rework. High Temp Tape Discs High temperature polyimide tape discs, .50" diameter. Hot Air Tool Tool and nozzles to deliver precise flow of hot air. Hot Plate Temperature adjustable heated plate to pre-heat components and circuit boards prior to tinning and reflow. Knife with #16 Blades A must-have tool for precise cutting, scraping and trimming. Microblasting System Benchtop microblasting system for removal of coatings. Micro Drill System Versatile power tool for milling, drilling, grinding, cutting and sanding. Micro Probes Sharp probes for dispensing adhesive and positioning small objects. Microscope Precision microscope with stand and lighting for work and inspection. Milling Machine Use for precision milling of circuit board materials. Mini Reflow Oven Small reflow oven for controlled solder reflow. Mixing Picks Disposable mixing sticks for mixing and applying adhesives. Oven General purpose oven for drying, baking and curing epoxies. Peg Stamps Peg stamps for application of inks to replace text and markings. Pin Gauges Use to provide accurate measurements for thickness and hole diameters. Tape, Peel Test This tape is specifically designed to test plating adhesion. Tape, Plating and Masking Ideal for masking during plating, coating removal and microblasting. Plating Solutions and Anodes Plating tools, plating anodes and various plating solutions for gold contact repair. Precision Drill Precision drill press for accuracy and controlled depth drilling. Precision Tool Set Nine precision-crafted tools for detailed circuit board work. Probe Sharp dental-style probe for manipulating small objects and removal of debris. Reflow Oven Reflow oven with multiple zones for controlled solder reflow. Repair Skills Practice Kit Training kit to practice circuit board repair skills prior to testing for certification. Restraint Bars and Clamps Steel bars and clamps to restrain warped circuit boards during rework. Robotic Deball/Tinning System Robotic system for component tinning and BGA solder ball removal. Safety Glasses Protect your eyes and your vision with proper safety glasses. Scraper, Curved Tip Hardened stainless steel tip for scraping solder mask and removing defects. Setting Tool, Small Used to properly form eyelets used to repair plated holes in circuit boards. Solder Flux Used to prepare solder surfaces and to prevent formation of oxides during soldering. Solder Fountain Solder fountain system for selective component removal and replacement. Solder Paste Solder paste for component soldering and rework. Solder Pot Solder pot with static or dynamic solder wave for wire and electronic component tinning. Soldering Skills Practice Kit Training kit to practice circuit board soldering skills prior to testing for certification. Solder Spheres Solder balls or spheres for BGA component reballing and rework. Soldering Iron Properly maintained soldering iron and properly sized soldering iron tips. Syringes Polypropylene syringe barrels with stainless steel dispensing tips. Thermal Parting Tool Thermal removal tool using controlled heat through specially shaped tips. Tool Base Support base for Setting Tool when forming eyelets for plated hole repair. Tool Grip, Small Handy tool has vise jaws to grip small items. Trim Form Machine Machine and dies to trim and form electronic components. Tweezers Multiple sizes and tip configurations of tweezers for various small parts handling needs. Vacuum Pickup Tool Manual or powered vacuum pickup tool for handling small parts and electrinic components. Wipes Nonabrasive, low-linting wipes for cleanup. Wire Solid conductor wire for conductor repair and jumpers. Wire Dots Pre-cut polymer film tape with a high performance adhesive designed for tacking wires. Wire Guide Use to form bends in wires and hold wires during soldering and bonding. Wire Stripper Sharp wire strippers for stripping insulated wire.