-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueWhat's Your Sweet Spot?
Are you in a niche that’s growing or shrinking? Is it time to reassess and refocus? We spotlight companies thriving by redefining or reinforcing their niche. What are their insights?
Moving Forward With Confidence
In this issue, we focus on sales and quoting, workforce training, new IPC leadership in the U.S. and Canada, the effects of tariffs, CFX standards, and much more—all designed to provide perspective as you move through the cloud bank of today's shifting economic market.
Intelligent Test and Inspection
Are you ready to explore the cutting-edge advancements shaping the electronics manufacturing industry? The May 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine is packed with insights, innovations, and expert perspectives that you won’t want to miss.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Rework Challenges for Smartphones and Tablets
November 19, 2014 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Smartphones are complex, costly devices and therefore need to be reworked correctly the first time.
To meet the ever-growing demand for performance, the complexity of mobile devices has increased immensely, with 70% more packages now found inside a mobile device than just a few years ago. For instance, a 1080P HD camera with video capabilities is now available on most high-end smartphones or tablet computers, making their production more elaborate and expensive.
The printed circuit boards for these devices are no longer considered disposable goods, and their bill of materials start from $150, with higher-end smartphones going up to $238, and tablets well over $300.
The implementation of surface mount devices is crucial for smartphone manufacturers, offering increased component density and improved performance. For example, the newer style DDR memory integrated components use less power and work at twice the speed of former versions. It is not surprising that most component manufacturers now produce these surface mount devices as small as 1 mm square.
Mobile products generally use an epoxy underfill to adhere components to the printed circuit board to meet the mechanical strength requirements of a drop test. Reworking glued components is the most difficult application in the electronics industry, and must be addressed as a process.
Rework Challenges
The removal of a glued component from a PCB assembly requires a specific order of operations. The first step is to remove the glue fillet located between the component and the circuit board. Mobile products generally have many types of components glued to the PCB in order to meet the industry standards outlined in JESD22-B111 Board Level Drop Test Method of Components for Handheld Electronic Devices and JESD22-B110 Subassembly Mechanical Shock. The epoxy is applied to the components to prevent the common failure modes of cracks in the laminate, cracks near the intermetallic, and cracks in the bulk solder. The addition of the epoxy increases the robustness of the design and enhances reliability for the user.
Read the full article here.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2014 issue of SMT Magazine.
Suggested Items
Results of the AT&S Annual General Meeting: Andy Mattes appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board
07/04/2025 | AT&SAndy Mattes was newly elected to the Supervisory Board of AT&S Austria Technologie und Systemtechnik Aktiengesellschaft and is appointed until the 36th Annual General Meeting 2030. Georg Hansis was re-elected.
Murray Percival Company Welcomes CeTaQ to Its Line Card, Optimizing SMT Processes for PCB Manufacturers
07/03/2025 | Murray Percival CompanyThe Murray Percival Company, a trusted supplier to the Midwest's electronics industry, is pleased to announce that it has added CeTaQ to its line card, a global expert in Surface Mount Technology (SMT) measurement systems.
Why I Finally Embraced Autorouting
07/03/2025 | Stephen V. Chavez, Siemens EDAHere is a common misconception held by those who don’t fully understand the PCB layout process or how to wield today’s high-level EDA tools: "All I need to do is push the autorouter button, let the computer route all the signal traces, and get the layout 100% routed. It’s a no-brainer. Anyone can do it. It should take less than a few hours.”
China Plus One, Part 3: Inorsen Group, a Vietnam Success Story
07/03/2025 | Manfred Huschka, Manfred Huschka Management Consulting (Shenzhen) Ltd.In recent years, Western OEMs have continued to push for China Plus One factories and the advancement of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). At present, there are two main modes for PCB companies to go global: building greenfield factories or through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Thailand is currently the primary geographic choice to build greenfield factories, whereas, increasingly, mergers and acquisitions in Vietnam and Malaysia provide opportunities for companies to expand markets and acquire resources.
Symposium Review: Qnity, DuPont, and Insulectro Forge Ahead with Advanced Materials
07/02/2025 | Barb Hockaday, I-Connect007In a dynamic and informative Innovation Symposium hosted live and on Zoom on June 25, 2025, representatives from Qnity (formerly DuPont Electronics), DuPont, and Insulectro discussed the evolving landscape of flexible circuit materials. From strategic corporate changes to cutting-edge polymer films, the session offered deep insight into design challenges, reliability, and next-gen solutions shaping the electronics industry.