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Knocking Down the Bone Pile: The Business Case for Component Reclamation

Electronic waste is increasing globally at an alarming rate. By 2030, it is estimated that the world will generate approximately 82 million tons of electronic waste per year. Rapid technological advances, shorter product lifecycles, and supply chain disruptions often lead manufacturers to build bloated inventories of electronic products. Unfortunately, some of this inventory ends up as electronic waste when components become obsolete or surplus to forecasted requirements, including high-value devices.

Basic recycling practices can recapture valuable metals from electronic components such as gold and other high-value metals. For example, estimates suggest that 4,000 tons of electronic waste can generate up to 450 Kg (kilograms), or approximately 1,000 pounds, of recycled gold.

Pros and Cons of Electronics Recycling
Of the millions of tons of electronic waste discarded globally each year, less than 20% of the raw materials and electronic components in these devices are recycled. Consumer electronics is a numbers game, as many manufacturers compete for market share, and most companies may not have any economic incentive to build more durable devices that can last longer before they need to be replaced.

Additionally, most companies and consumers do not reuse these devices or their components at the end of their lifespans. This is mainly due to the difficulties of repairing these products, replacing obsolete components, or upgrading the software without overtaxing the hardware. While the business of recovering precious metals and other valuable materials from electronic waste is increasing, there are limits to recycling. In most cases, the printed circuit board and other devalued components are dumped into landfills or incinerated.

Extracting and recapturing valuable metals from recycled electronic components requires advanced recycling practices, such as bioleaching with microorganisms, hydrometallurgy (chemical leaching), or pyrometallurgy (smelting) at elevated temperatures.

Sustainability and Circularity
Electronic waste often contains hazardous materials that pose risks to human health and the overall environment. These toxins include mercury, lead, and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). A circular supply chain is a strategy for keeping these materials from being dumped into landfills together with electronic waste.

A circular economy closes resource loops and maximizes the lifetime value of materials. To achieve this, electronics manufacturers follow a take, make, use, repair, repurpose, redistribute, and then recycle circular model, whereas a linear economy follows a take, make, and dispose methodology. Recycling is part of circularity; however, the goal is to ensure that devices can be utilized by another manufacturer, preventing this need for as long as possible.

Another consideration in a circular supply chain is designing products that are easier and financially viable to repair and upgrade. Modular product design is a crucial aspect of promoting circularity. Designing products that are easy to repair and encouraging buy-back schemes empower end consumers to make more sustainable choices with their electronic purchases. Being able to repair devices easily encourages people to fix what they own instead of replacing them without thought.

Circularity goes beyond reducing discarded components. Many legacy components—parts older than 10 years—may not be available via franchised distribution. Sometimes, a single legacy chip may prevent scrap from a large, old industrial piece of equipment, enabling a successful,  cost-effective repair.

Component Salvaging and Reclamation
When harvesting electronic components from printed circuit boards, several factors need to be considered. These include the type and level of physical damage to the component, the component’s electrostatic discharge (ESD) level, electrical overstress (EOS), moisture sensitivity device (MSD) level, and the environmental conditions it has interacted with, together with other factors. Outsourcing the component salvaging process allows you to hire professionals who can effectively address these critical factors and leverage high-performance tools and processes to successfully locate, remove, and procure valuable components from discarded electronic products.

When selecting an outsource partner, several factors should be evaluated to ensure the integrity and quality of the component reclamation process. It is recommended to audit the outsourcing partner to verify that they have effective MSD processes aligned with J-STD-033 guidelines. It is also recommended that the outsource partner have numerous years of experience with BGA salvaging and follow all applicable MSD, EOS, and ESD safeguards.

Component Removal
After mechanical disassembly, most components can be recovered using hot air or infrared (IR) rework systems. Hot air systems deliver a controlled stream of heated air to raise both the component and the surrounding PCB to solder reflow temperature. Operators must carefully manage airflow, temperature, and dwell time to prevent thermal damage or PCB warping. Preheating the board before component removal is an effective practice that further reduces thermal shock and helps preserve component integrity.

Infrared systems, in contrast, radiate heat directly into the component, minimizing thermal exposure to nearby devices. The technique is highly dependent on variables such as component color, reflectivity, and board material, making precise calibration and profiling essential. Regardless of the method used, adherence to MSD handling procedures per J-STD-033 is crucial to prevent component failure during removal, and thermal profiling ensures heating remains within manufacturer-recommended specifications.

Specialized tools and equipment are required to reliably remove and salvage electronic components from printed circuit boards. These include high-quality professional soldering irons, hot-air or infrared component removal systems, robotic hot solder dip machines, inspection systems, stereo microscopes, cleaning systems, baking ovens, and various types of hand tools. Operators performing component salvaging must be highly trained in the proper knowledge, skills, and protocols of MSD and ESD safeguardsto ensure components are not damaged during the removal, desoldering, and reclamation process.

Electronic component salvaging includes reclamation of various types of primarily surface mount devices, including ball grid array, land grid array, and quad flat no-lead components, which can be salvaged and reconditioned for use in the assembly of other circuit boards. The harvesting of electronic components from PCBs helps alleviate supply chain shortages of high-value or hard-to-source electronic devices. Following reconditioning, salvaged components are typically laser-marked for traceability and packaged on tape and reel per EIA-481 standards, or in trays for automated circuit board assembly.

IPC-7712, a component reclaim standard currently in development, aims to advance circularity within the electronics manufacturing industry and expand the ability of component reuse as opposed to recycling of electronic waste.

Conclusion
Electronic waste is a worldwide problem driven in large part by consumers' desires to acquire the latest technology. It is critical to implement environmental and eco-friendly practices by advancing component-salvaging procedures.

The importance of maintaining high-quality workmanship standards throughout the component reclamation process cannot be overstated. This serves to ensure the integrity of the component supply chain, facilitating environmentally responsible practices, and reducing reliance on energy intensive fabrication of new semiconductor devices and electronic components.

This column originally appeared in the June 2026 issue of SMT007 Magazine.