Apple A2473 Series Watch Midnight Aluminum User Manual

Apple A2473 Series Watch Midnight Aluminum

About This Guide

Apple Recycler Guides provide guidance for electronics recyclers on how to disassemble products to maximize recovery of resources. The guides provide step-by-step disassembly instructions and information on the material composition to help recyclers direct fractions to the appropriate material recycler.

To conserve important resources, we work to reduce the materials we use and aim to one day source only recycled or renewable materials in our products. A key path to reaching that goal is resource recovery from end-of-life electronics.

Disassembly procedures are intended to be performed only by trained electronics recycling professionals. The recycler is responsible for independently evaluating and ensuring compliance with all applicable environmental, health, and safety laws related to the work. These include but are not limited to laws relating to the management, handling, shipping, and disposal of the outputs of this work as waste and laws in place to ensure the health and safety of all employees who support this work.

For questions or feedback about this guide, email contactesci@apple.com.

Note: The enclosures for Apple Watch Series 7 may be aluminum, stainless steel, or titanium. This guide was created using an aluminum enclosure, but the procedures are the same for each enclosure material.

Identification

You can find the model number in the band slot of the Apple Watch.

Model numbers:
A2473, A2474, A2475, A2476, A2477, A2478

If the band is attached, press and hold the band release button, then slide the band across to remove it.

Directive 2012/19/EU Annex VII Components

Directive 2012/19/EU Annex VII requirements apply to the following substances and components.

Cover glass and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display if the surface is greater than 100 square centimeters| OLED display| Follow steps 1–3
No further substances or components as listed in Annex VII| |

Safety Considerations

The recycler is responsible for independently evaluating all activities undertaken by its employees to perform or support the work and ensuring compliance with all applicable health and safety laws related to the work. These include but are not limited to laws relating to the health and safety of all employees who perform or support this work. The recycler is also responsible for evaluating the workspace and ensuring that the area in which the work is to be undertaken is designed using ergonomic best practices and meets all ergonomic requirements to ensure the protection of its employees.

Certain enclosure metals, such as titanium, if shredded together in quantity and to a small particle size (where the particles become finely divided), are capable of igniting spontaneously on exposure to air, can create sparks during shredding, and can be potentially reactive with water or humid air under certain conditions. Develop and apply preventative measures to store in properly rated/designed non-flammable containers to minimize the potential for an event to occur. Evaluate potential for emergency situations and ensure proper plans and materials are available to respond if an event were to occur. Ensure an adequate dust collection system is in place which has been designed for the specific combustibility hazard and to minimize airborne concentrations. Avoid using water or halogenated extinguishing agents for fire extinguishing, as exposure could introduce additional hazards.

Personal Protective Equipment

Personal protective equipment should be worn during the entire recycling process.

| Wear hand protection
---|---
| Wear eye protection
| Wear protective clothing
| Wear foot protection
| Wear a mask

Battery Safety

This product uses a lithium-ion polymer battery. Before beginning any disassembly work, ensure a safe working procedure for handling lithium-ion batteries has been established, which could include discharging the batteries so that they can be more safely managed. The following considerations may also be included:

• Remove anything from your person that could conduct energy, such as jewelry and watches, to avoid electric shock to yourself or the logic board.
• To avoid the potential for thermal runaway and the release of potentially noxious fumes, don’t puncture, strike, or crush lithium-ion polymer batteries or devices powered by them.
• Don’t throw, drop, or bend the battery.
• Don’t expose the battery to excessive heat or sunlight.
• Don’t use tools that are sharp or conduct electricity.
• Keep your workspace clear of foreign objects and sharp materials.
• Dispose of batteries according to local environmental laws and guidelines.

Workspace safety guidelines

• Use heat-resistant gloves and safety glasses.
• Keep a sand dispenser within arm’s reach (2 feet or 0.6 m) on one side of the workstation, not above the workstation. The dispenser should be a wide-mouthed, quick-pour metal container with a flip-top lid or tray that contains 8–10 cups (1.9–2.4 L) of clean, dry, untreated sand.
• Keep the battery at least 2 feet (0.6 m) from paper and other combustible materials.
• Work in an area with adequate ventilation.

Handling a thermal runaway

If you notice any of the following signs, a thermal runaway is likely underway, and you should act immediately:

• The lithium-ion polymer battery or a device containing one begins to smoke or emit sparks or soot.
• The battery pouch suddenly and quickly puffs out.
• You hear hissing or popping sounds.

Don’t use water or an ABC/CO2 fire extinguisher on a thermal runaway battery or a device containing one. Water and ABC/CO2 fire extinguishers will not stop the reaction.

Do smother the battery or device immediately with plenty of clean, dry sand, dumped all at once. Timing is critical; the faster you pour all the sand, the faster the thermal runaway will stop.

Do leave the room for 30 minutes if the thermal runaway causes any irritation.

Do wait 30 minutes before touching the battery. Wear heat-resistant gloves and safety glasses to remove the battery from the sand, or use a touchless thermometer to measure the battery temperature. Only touch the battery when the event has finished.

Do dispose of the damaged battery or device (including any debris removed from the sand) according to local environmental laws and guidelines.

OLED Safety

Broken OLEDs must be handled properly to ensure the safety of your employees and mitigate any hazards. Package broken OLEDs in an appropriate container to properly manage the hazards associated with the materials and store only with compatible materials. All waste must be properly classified, packaged, and labeled in accordance with all relevant laws and regulations.

Hazard Warnings

| Broken glass hazard
---|---
| Rechargeable battery hazard
| Chemical inhalation hazard

Recommended Tools

• Miniature plastic pry bar

• Miniature pry bar

• Precision slotted screwdriver

• Precision tri-wing screwdriver

Disassembly Instructions

1. Remove the magnetic charging cable.

   • Ensure that the Apple Watch is turned off.
   • Disconnect the magnetic charging cable.
     

2. Remove the display.
   | Broken glass hazard
   ---|---
   | Chemical inhalation hazard

**Tools Used

**

  * Hold the Apple Watch at the edge of a counter with the display facing up.
  * Insert the tool tip between the display and the enclosure. Push the handle down to pry the display from the enclosure.
  * Remove the display by hand. Set the enclosure aside.  

3. Remove the display logic board.
   • Lay the display facedown.
   • Pry off the display logic board.
     
     
     
     Tools Used

4. From the enclosure, carefully remove the lithium-ion polymer battery.
   | Rechargeable battery hazard
   ---|---

Tools Used

5. Remove the Taptic Engine.
   • Unscrew the three fasteners.
     

**Tools Used

**

  * Using the miniature pry bar, pry off the Taptic Engine.  

6. Remove the speaker.
   • Unscrew the three fasteners.
     
     
     **Tools Used

**

  * Using the miniature pry bar, pry off the speaker.  

7. **Remove the main logic board brackets by unscrewing the six fasteners.
   
   
   Tools Used

**

8. **Pry off the main logic board.
   
   
   Tools Used

**

9. **Remove the microphone bracket by unscrewing the two fasteners.
   
   
   Tools Used

**

10. **Pry off the microphone array.
    
    
    Tools Used

**

11. Pry off the sensor array
    
    
    **Tools Used

**

Material Categorization of Output Fractions

All outputs from this process must be managed, handled, and disposed of in accordance with applicable waste laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Waste Framework Directive and its national enactments in Europe.

Aluminum

Note: Depending on the material, the enclosure may be processed as aluminum, ferrous, or titanium.

|

• Primary Target Material.

• Potential Additional Materials

Batteries

| Primary Target Material

Ferrous

| Primary Target Material

Glass

|

• Primary Target Material

• Potential Additional Materials

Logic Boards

|

• Primary Target Material

• Potential Additional Materials

Mixed Electronics

|

• Primary Target Material

• Potential Additional Materials
  

Rare Earth Magnets

|

• Primary Target Material

• Potential Additional Materials

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