Component Reclaim
Retronix has developed a process to recover & refurbish electronic components to enable reuse
Component Recovery in Electronics : A sustainable Approach
Component recovery in electronics refers to the process of extracting valuable components from electronic devices and circuit boards. This practice has gained importance due to the increasing volume of electronic waste and the rising demand for sustainable solutions in the electronics industry. By recovering and reusing electronic components, manufacturers can reduce waste, keep their productions lines running, safeguard their supply chain from counterfeit components and promote environment sustainability.
The Need for Component Recovery:
- Resource Shortage/Scarcity: The ongoing global component shortage has been causing widespread disruption across various industries, with electronic components like MLCCs (Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitors) and semiconductors experiencing shortages, price hikes, and long lead times. This issue has been exacerbated by the pandemic, especially in the automotive and industrial sectors. Component recovery plays a crucial role in helping industries cope with these shortages by extracting valuable components. By recovering and reusing these components, companies can reduce their reliance on new resources, cut down on costs, and alleviate the pressure on the supply chain.
- Safeguard Supply Chains: By recovering and reusing electronic components, companies can reduce their dependency on new components, which are subject to fluctuating availability and prices. They also do not have to depend on unknown sources for the components. This allows them to maintain a steady supply of necessary components even during periods of shortage, ensuring uninterrupted production and reducing the impact of supply chain disruptions.
- Reducing E-Waste: E-waste has become a major environmental concern, with millions of tons of electronic devices discarded annually. Recovering and reusing electronic components can help reduce the volume of e-waste generated, as fewer devices need to be discarded when their components can be repurposed for new products.
- Promoting circular economy and sustainable practices: Component recovery is a step towards creating a circular economy, where waste is minimized, and resources are used as efficiently as possible. Click here to know more.
QUALITY ASSURANCE:
Retronix, a leading provider of high reliability component preparation services, has stringent quality assurances in place for component recovery to cater to industries such as defence, aerospace, and automotive. These quality assurances are designed to ensure that their services, such as laser reballing, alloy conversion, and IC tests, meet the highest industry standards and comply with regulatory requirements.
Component Reclaim Process
Our wide range of services to the electronics industry allows us to offer a complete service for the safe recovery of parts ready for your new builds.
- 24 Hour Dry Bake
- Visual Inspection
- Safe Device Removal
- Coplanarity Checks
- IC Tests
- Visual Inspection
- Re-reeling & Re-packing
- 24 Hour Post Bake
Case Studies
Critical Application Device Recovery
Customer Problem: Our customer operating within the High Reliability Sector discovered faults in boards destined for a Space Application. Each board destined for the scrap heap was worth €65k, with €43k of that value made up by a Xilinx Kintex Part.
Retronix Solution: Retronix’s advance and precise component recovery service safely recovered the high-value part from the faulty boards. Due to the overall component value and the critical application, there was no room for error.
- Part successfully recovered and Laser Reballed without exposure to any heat stress.
- Electrical and mechanical tests confirmed in working order.
- Vacuum pack, sealed and shipped back to the customer.
Outcome: With the Xilinx Kintex parts recovered from the scrap, boards returned to a ‘like new’ condition our customer was able to reuse the components on new revision boards.
Ten device types recovered from over 20,000 boards
Customer Problem: A top organisation working within Avionics was struggling to source specific component types required for an assembly. Turning their search internally, the team discovered 20,000 plus scrap populated boards in storage. Ten scarce component types were identified on the boards, including the very part required for the assembly.
Retronix Solution: Retronix’s component reclaim service safely recovered ten of the components types from all 20,000 boards.
- Applied full suite of services to enable safe recovery including, Lead Alignment and Straightening and, Laser Reballing.
- Electrical and Ionic Contamination tests confirmed all the components were in working order.
- Vacuum pack, sealed and shipped back to the customer.
Outcome: Our customer was able to complete the original assembly and use the additional reclaimed components in alternative applications.
I can confirm that the device was fitted successfully to a new assembly. Thanks to Retronix for implementing this safe reclaim process which has saved us scrapping a very expensive part.
