At AERI we favor manual decapsulation for a variety of reasons. There is much less chemical waste, you can change the process on the fly when there are surprises, and often times the part is still functional after the process. This article presents a good and detailed case for manual decapsulation.
Robb Hammond is the founder and CEO of AERI, an independent electronic component distributor operating since 1994. He is a founding member and former committee chair of SAE AS6081, the counterfeit-avoidance standard for independent distributors adopted by the U.S. Department of Defense, and a recognized authority on counterfeit detection.
