Rework of Shielded SMD

Author: Dan Lilie

Abstract: As the PCB market continues to be in high demand, the RF shield design will remain a challenge to rework. Simply put, the RF shield serves one goal – to minimize the Radio Frequency (RF) noise which can affect the sensitive and critical SMD devices beneath the shield. RF shields typically have a unique design and must conform to the layout of the PCB. Because of this, RF shields are not always rectangular or square in design and reworking a shield without disturbing adjacent components can be challenging. Due to the highly reflective surface of many RF shields a hot air rework system is the choice number one for ensuring a targeted and efficient energy input.