Quote Originally Posted by Otto View Post
Fume hoods, heat sinks, soldering irons and solder suckers are standard equipment for someone doing more than the occasional IC removal. However, if you are thinking of doing this on a large scale, there are additional environmental concerns. If doing this at home, do you want to be venting lead fumes into your neighborhood where they can accumulate?
I would be doing this on a very small scale. The items you suggest are de rigueur for IC removal. I'm looking for an approach that doesn't produce any fumes or other environmental hazzards whatsoever. I've read that infrared can be used to do this, and I'm wondering if there are other processes or automated equipment on the market that will remove ICs without creating any fumes or doing damage to the chips. I hope that clarifies my question a little better.