Component Stripping

Chemical + Thermal Component Stripping

Chemical and thermal component stripping is a material recovery system that removes intact electronic components and substrate metallization from printed circuit boards using hot-air reflow desoldering and acid etching. Because lunar operations preclude chemical resupply, the system relies on strictly closed-loop fluid handling and hazardous-chemical containment. Built from Hastelloy reactors, acid-resistant pumps, and PTFE-lined pipework, the 30 kg unit consumes 300 W of power while processing five circuit boards per hour. The apparatus recovers 80 percent of components intact, operating with a 15-year service lifetime and a 30,000-hour mean time between failures.

Combined chemical and thermal process stripping components and solder from PCBs for material recovery.