Apparatus for electronic component disassembly from printed circuit board assembly in e-wastes

• EC disassembly apparatus for e-wastes PCBA was developed.
• The apparatus designed to apply infrared heat and abrasion force
• Over 94% of ECs were disassembled from PCBs by the apparatus.

The current study involves the development of an electronic component (EC) disassembly apparatus for printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) in the pretreatment processing of electronic waste recycling. In the apparatus, the PCBA is fed slowly into the disassembly module and is then heated via infra-red heater over the melting point of the solder which bonds the PCB and ECs. The ECs are swept off from the PCB with the use of rotating steel brush rods. Then, the ECs on both sides of the boards are removed simultaneously. The maximum disassembly ratio (94%) is obtained at a feeding speed of 0.33 cm/s and a heating temperature of 250 °C.