Using a 3D Printer to Repair Broken IPad Screen

If your favorite device has a broken screen, you can use a 3D printer to help.

Using a heat gun works well to remove a screen, but it only heats up
a small area and I found that the aluminum backing on my iPad pulls the heat away quickly from the area I was working on. Setting your heated bed to a safe temperature then heating up the entire device saves time, and you avoid possible spikes in heat from a hot air gun.

Follow these quick steps and watch my video to learn a new trick to remove a broken screen.

Have you ever left your phone or tablet in the car on a sunny day? If it was left in the sun it can get too warm to touch. I couldn't find any specific information on what temperatures an iPad could handle, so I guessed using a hot car as my example. After almost burning myself a few times, I decided that a 60C heated bed felt about as warm as my phone in a hot car. Pretty scientific huh?

After your device has been in the printer for a few minutes, check it to see if it is the same temperature. I did this by just touching the iPad and the heated bed to see if they feel the same. Remember to start with quick light touches and then go a bit longer and firmer until you have a good sense of how hot it is. Its also good to know that heat is not sensed instantly. There is a noticeable delay from when you touch something hot to when you feel it. That's why its a good idea to start with quick touches. I have learned this the hard way. But hey, at least I learned!

Once its up to temperature, its time to take it out and remove the screen. If you have done this before, then continue on the same way. You should be able to remove the entire screen without adding any more heat. If you have not replaced a broken screen before, there are some great videos out there for almost any model of tablet or phone. This was only meant to show you a different way to heat things up.

Once you have it all back together, I like to make sure the 3M miracle tape is good and stuck. I ended up putting my iPad back in the printer to warm up before adding some pressure to it to help the double sided tape stick. After it was all done, it was much faster then messing around with a heat gun, and it gave me another reason why its handy to own a 3D printer.