Recently I have been getting a ton of private messages from people interested in lcd separator machines. I have been asked many questions about them, too many to answer. I cannot answer them all as I run my very own repair shop. I am making this thread to help answer any questions you have.
What is an lcd separator machine?
Chances are if you clicked this post you already know what it is. However if you don’t know what it is I will explain it. An lcd separating machine is a repair machine that is used to separate the broken or cracked glass from a working lcd on current touch screen phones. The main component is the hot plate and clamps.
How does an lcd separating machine work?
It is a fairly simple machine. All separating machines have a fool proof display in front of them. Set the desired temperature and wait until the hot plate heats up. The display usually shows it current temperature and keeps climbing until it hits the temperature that you have set. Once the hot plate is hot enough, you place the broken screen assembly onto the hot plate and clamp it down using the four clamps on either side. Wait around a minute and begin sliding the gold wire between the cracked glass and the lcd.
What temperature to set the lcd separator machine to?
In order to set the temperature, press the up and down arrows on the display. Set the temperature to 85-100 degrees. I usually like to set it on the higher end so it begins to make the adhesive workable much faster, but you must not leave it on the hot plate too long or it will damage the lcd.
Can you use a heat gun to separate the broken glass from the lcd?
If only it was that easy. Before lcd machines, repair shops tried everything to get that cracked glass off and reuse the lcd, including heat guns. I have seen it done, and it involves hours of careful work. Every time I tried I ended up cracking the lcd and damaging it. The problem isn’t the heat gun not getting hot enough; the issue is that it cannot constantly disperse heat evenly around the entire glass. The hot plate lets the glue on top of the assembly stay hot enough to work with at all time, allowing you to cut through it with a fine line.
What kind of glue is used between the glass and lcd?
Manufactures use a special adhesive called liquid-optically clear adhesive (also called loca glue/ loca adhesive). They use this glue because it stays clear and does not turn yellow. This allows you to be able to see the lcd clearly. It also works well with the touch interfaces. Another cool fact about this glue is that it does not dry under normal conditions. You must introduce it to uv light in order for the chemical reaction to begin.
What kind of line to use to separate the screen from lcd?
Plastic fishing line will melt if you try it. You must use a gold wire. This wire is called molybdenum wire.The gold wire tends to break after a couple uses, so it would be smart to buy a lot of feet if you plan to do a lot of repairs. When doing the repair, start on the opposite side of the connector cables. Run the line side to side going in one direction. Do not go back and forth. So run the line up the unit, the go down it.
How do you remove the adhesive off the lcd screen?
You will need to use a strong adhesive remover. I prefer to use Gooff, but you can use a high grade acetone. I like to use a toothbrush to lightly brush excess adhesive off. Then I use a plastic card to scrape off adhesive that doesn’t come off. Be very careful and do not apply too much pressure or make any deep cuts.
How do you dry the adhesive between screen and lcd?
You will need to buy some UV light. Regular heat does not dry the glue. There are many UV lights on ebay and amazon for fairly cheap. I prefer to use a uv nail dryer as it acts as a unit and you place the assembly inside it for about 5 minutes.
After repair, there are blotches behind the screen?
This means you got the loca adhesive between the light box and the inner screen. Next time to avoid this take off the entire light box with the different layers of film by desoldering it off the connector. Excess glue tends to get in there a lot so it’s best to avoid the issue.
There are lines on the lcd screen when it is turned on
This typically means you damaged the lcd connector. Also check to see the connection to the logic board is set tight.
There are air bubbles in the glue between the screen and lcd
Apply slight pressure to the bottom of lcd and to the top of screen a little away from the bubble. This will push the glue near the bubble, causing the bubble to move. Keep doing this until it goes to the edge.
The screen is crooked on top of the lcd
You should be using a mold made for the screen you are repairing. They are very cheap online.
Which lcd glass separating machine should I get?
There are a bunch of separating machines on ebay and amazon that you can get. They are essentially all the same. However, a new type came out recently that I have been working with. It uses a vacuum suction system instead of clamps to hold onto the screen. This works a lot better because sometimes the glass is so badly cracked that the clamps cannot hold onto them.
What is the benefit of replacing the glass only?
I wrote up a short article "
How to make money by repairing iPhones". To summarize; you can double your profit per repair because you do not have to buy an entire screen assembly, just the glass only.