Soldering mask laser removal from printed circuit boards aiming copper recycling

Management of waste of electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) is a key issue for modern societies; furthermore, it contains valuable materials that can be recycled, especially in printed circuit boards (PCB), which have approximately one-third of their weight in copper. In this study we demonstrated the use of laser to strip the covering soldering mask on PCB's, thus exposing the copper underneath so that extraction techniques may take place. Using a Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm and 532 nm we tested the procedure under different energy conditions. The laser stripping of the soldering mask was achieved with satisfactory results by irradiation with 225 mJ at 1064 nm. However, when using similar parameters at 532 nm the process of the coating ejection was not promoted properly, leading to a faulty detachment. Infrared laser PCB stripping presents itself to be technically viable and environmental friendly, since it uses no chemicals inputs, offering one more option to WEEE treatment and recycling.