How can I tell the difference between a hot air rework and an IR reflow?

 

In this post I will try to show and display the added stress that using a hot air system of any kind can damage the system motherboard instead of an IR reflow system.

Now, in the hands of a skilled technician hot air systems can work great on non-powered chipsets, ie. chipsets with capacitors on top of them. Systems that have capacitors on top will require an IR reflow with an IR reflow system.  Now I get questions all the time asking me such great questions as:

1. Why do I need to have an IR reflow performed by an IR reflow system when I can do it with…. now we fill in the blank with such great industrial items as hair dryers, shrink wrap gun, heat gun, hot air station, flaming alcohol?

2. Why IR reflow it since it will fail again?

In the picture overhead, you see some of the damage that hot air systems will do to your chipset. As explained in the video below, the capacitors are visible to have been removed by force with the hot air system.

IR reflow systems will not move the capacitors like hot air reflowing will do in the picture.

IR reflow will not damage the chip by causing the capacitors to be removed by force.  No amount of tape or directional force will help a hot air reflow out do an IR reflow system.