How to Use a Hot Air Rework Station

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Contributors: Joel_E_B, bboyho, Ell C
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Introduction

Hot-air stations or heat guns are very useful tools and are essential for any electronics workbench. When working with or building printed circuit boards, there is a lot of room for errors to be made. Whether you're relying on machines to do the building for you or building by hand, solder can often have a mind of its own. Sometimes the person doing the building (or the person programming the machine that does the building) can make a mistake. Other times, the solder or components on the PCB can react in ways that are not desirable during reflow. Have no fear though, there are ways to remedy this! The SparkFun hot-air rework station - 303D is one such solution.

Hot-Air Rework Station - 303D

TOL-19101
Retired

Tools

Besides a hot-air rework station, you’ll need a few tools to rework a surface mount components on a board. The tweezer type will depend on the job and personal preference. Flux can also help reflow solder joints.

Insulated Silicone Soldering Mat

Insulated Silicone Soldering Mat

TOL-14672
$10.95
10
SparkFun Third Hand Kit

SparkFun Third Hand Kit

TOL-11784
$37.50
63
Tweezers - Straight (ESD Safe)

Tweezers - Straight (ESD Safe)

TOL-10603
$4.50
4
Tweezers - Curved (ESD Safe)

Tweezers - Curved (ESD Safe)

TOL-10602
$4.50
7
Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen  - 10mL

Chip Quik No-Clean Flux Pen - 10mL

TOL-14579
$7.95
4
Tweezers - Curved (cross-lock, ESD Safe)

Tweezers - Curved (cross-lock, ESD Safe)

TOL-12572
$4.50
2
Tweezers - Straight (Cross-Lock, ESD Safe)

Tweezers - Straight (Cross-Lock, ESD Safe)

TOL-12573
$4.50
1

Panavise Jr. - Vacuum Base

TOL-10410
2 Retired

Additional Tools

To protect your table's finish, we recommend using a heat resistant material.

  • Heat Resistant Material
    • Piece of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)
    • Silicone Mat

If this is the first time that you have reworked a board, try reworking a scrap board from our ding and dent before reworking an expensive PCB!

Scrap Boards

DD-08477
4 Retired

Pick and Place Spare Parts Grab Bag

DD-10351
Retired