Simultaneous disassembly of PCBs based on components reusability assessment

Disassembly is the first issue in the recycling of obsolete printed circuit boards (PCBs). Although high automation and robotics have been achieved in the industrial assembly of PCBs, the dismantlement of PCBs still keeps a low level of manual operation with simple tools, except some pilot or demonstration projects realized in research institutes. Consumption market of electrical and electronic equipments is very flourishing in China, which causes millions of used PCBs abandoned every year. Manual disassembly of PCBs is the most common method in China now. In order to improve the disassembly efficiency and evaluate the disassembled components, as well as to ameliorate working conditions and minimize the environmental pollution, it is necessary to develop a PCB disassembly and component reusability assessment system which is commercially feasible to industrial application. Under the support of National Key Technologies R&D Program of China, we quested for technological solutions for PCB disassembly and component assessment to catch up the demand of sustainable development.