Active disassembly using shape memory polymers for the mobile phone industry

This paper reports results the application of shape memory polymer (SMP) technology to the active disassembly of modern mobile phones. The smart material SMP of polyurethane (PU) composition was employed. Two different types of SMP fasteners were created for these experiments. With these smart material devices, it is possible for products to disassemble themselves at specific triggering temperatures at EoL. The two designs were compared for disassembly effectiveness. The disassembly technique is termed active disassembly using smart materials (ADSM), and has been successfully demonstrated on a variety of mobile phones. Whilst developed primarily as a universal disassembly technique, cost effectiveness and time performance is apparent. Heat sources of +90, +100 and a range of +67 to +120°C were employed to raise the releasable fasteners above their trigger temperatures: in the case of SMP this would be the glass transition temperature (Tg). The development of releasable fasteners and applications in electronic products is described