iPad Display Assembly 3 Pc. Adhesive Application

Written By: Arthur Shi

Comments: 21

iPad Display Assembly 3 Pc. Adhesive Application

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

5 - 15 minutes

Introduction

This guide shows how to apply display assembly adhesive to an opened iPad.

Tools

Step 1

Before installing new adhesive, thoroughly clean the display assembly and the frame of all residue.
Use tweezers to pull up sections of tape residue.
Use an opening tool or a spudger to scrape residue off. You can use high concentration (over 90%) isopropyl alcohol to soften the adhesive.
Remove the residue by wiping in one direction to prevent smearing.
Do not scrape with a metal tool, or you will scratch the display assembly's surface.

I followed these instructions and used 99.9% isopropyl alcohol to clean off the glue around the display - but the isopropyl leaked under the screen and ruined it! Replacement screen more than the iPad’s worth. Use tiny amounts and don’t allow for any seepage, or try to manage without and just carefully scape. My iPad’s now a write-off… :-(

Alex Harness - 04/05/21

Hi Alex!

I’m really sorry to hear about your experience. Can you describe a little more how the alcohol ruined the screen? This info can help with future guides!

Arthur Shi - 06/05/21

Use goof off or xylene on cotton swab outdoors to remove adhesive. Do it outside so you don’t smell up the house. Better than rubbing alcohol.

macman2 -

Goof-off will unfortunately leave a residue that can eventually weaken the replacement adhesive. Be sure to fully clean off the surface with alcohol after you use Goof-off.

Arthur Shi -

I used a hair dryer to soften the adhesive.

OK, you still leave a very small, microscopic, layer of adhesive after removing the black tape, but really, new tape will still stick to that. We’re not trying to make the iPad water proof - we’re simply trying to make the components secure and not fall apart. Shame Apple couldn’t have used screws instead!

Billinski -

Used CRC Brakleen PRO SERIES. Applied sparingly with a Q-tip 2 inches at a time. Softened the adhesive was easily squeezed off with a plastic spudger.

dklj -

Step 2

Lay out the replacement adhesive strips around the display assembly so that they correspond to the correct sides.

Beim iPad Air müssen die Klebestreifen übrigens nicht auf das Gehäuse, sondern an das Front Panel geklebt werden.

Veit Kunz - 21/12/20

Danke. Sehr gut.

Charles Farnsworth -

Regarding which is the left side and which is the right side, do not rely on the color coding on the image in step 2. Instead, look for how the width of the adhesive strip varies. A thinner strip should correspond to the location of the screen side cables. I used the color coding on the image and got the sides reversed. However, even though there was too much adhesive near the side cables, it did not matter once I finished assembly. Another thing I did to make alignment easier is to cut the left and right sides in two close to the middle. It was easier to align the 4 strips working from corner to middle

Rudy Chukran -

Step 3

Each adhesive strip is encased in four layers of plastic—three on top and one on the bottom.
Peel and remove the topmost plastic cling layer from the left adhesive strip.
Peel and remove the bottom plastic liner from the strip.
The top of the adhesive strip should still be covered by a colored plastic layer as well as a clear plastic stiffening layer.
The bottom of the adhesive strip should now be exposed and sticky.

Step 4

If there are extra bits of adhesive on the strip that are not required for your particular model of iPad, remove them now.

Step 5

Align the left adhesive strip to the left edge of the display assembly.
Beginning from one corner, lay the adhesive strip onto the display assembly and press the strip into place.

Step 6

Repeat the process with the right adhesive strip.
Peel and remove the topmost cling layer from the strip.
Peel and remove the bottom liner layer from the strip.
Align the adhesive strip to the right edge of the display assembly.
Starting from one corner, lay the adhesive strip onto the display assembly and press in place.

Step 7

Repeat the process for the top adhesive strip.
Peel and remove the topmost cling layer from the strip.
Peel and remove the bottom liner from the strip.
Align the strip to the top of the display assembly such that the straight adhesive line bridges the gap between the left and right strips.
Press the strip in place.

Step 8

Peel and remove the clear plastic stiffening layer from all three adhesive strip sections.
The adhesive strips should still be covered by colored plastic liners.

Step 9

Continue with the reassembly process until you are ready to seal the device.

Step 10

Peel and remove the three colored plastic liners to expose the adhesive.
Close the device and stack some heavy books on top of it for thirty minutes to help the new adhesive bond.
Alternatively, you can use screen vice clamps around the perimeter of your device to set the new adhesive.

Very clear and easy to do :)

Maris -

Conclusion

Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers Community for troubleshooting help.

Author

Arthur Shi

Member since: 03/01/18

263369 Reputation

11 comments

Thanks, I was able to fix my wife’s shattered digitizer screen on the iPad 6th gen with this guide!

Kevin Chatterton II - 19/02/20

I managed to get it done, but this was a personal nightmare for me and more difficult than replacing the battery in my ipad. There are too many instruction that say “remove plastic” and I have no idea which layer; there was nothing on the packaging to indicate which side was up or which side was the front and I ended up guessing the wrong direction because it “looked” right, but wasn’t. A simple sticker on the packaging indicating a direction would have removed all of the frustration. I only managed to figure it out by removing all of the plastic so that the sticky side of the adhesive was exposed and then I could finally see how it was supposed to fit and how I was supposed to press down with the other side of the plastic to push the adhesive side into the frame.

twizzlercraze72 - 03/08/20

Fixed a cracked iPad 4 mini screen; I agree with twizzlercraze72. Some kind of labeling would have saved so much peeling and re-sticking. I ended up with a gap next to my home button. An expensive lesson to learn.

CBrewington - 05/03/21

For me, actually replacing the battery wasn’t too bad, but I ended up using too much isopropyl to clean off the old glue, and it seeped under the display and ruined it. Wish Apple didn’t use so much glue. It massively impedes repairability, which is not very environmentally sound. My iPad was perfect apart from the battery - it’s now got a perfect battery but the iPad is ruined :-(

Alex Harness - 04/05/21

Same here :(. $50 repair just turned into $250!

Paul Manos -

I had the same thing happen. Lesson is not work so hard to remove the glue. :(

Charles Farnsworth -

I too thought it was the isopropanol that ruined the screen (even though I made sure it wouldn't go into the screen), but that stuff evaporates pretty quickly anyway. Your screen was most likely damaged just by opening the device with those picks (just like in my case) - a variety of people have reported the same thing. Turns out the instructions are just doing a really bad job at indicating how easy it is to damage the screen, and underestimate the force as well as time and heat required for the whole procedure. The German instructions are even worse. Even though the instructions give a warning, at one point they inexplicably also suggest it's "ok" to shove those picks into the display as far as the display bezel goes. If that's not going to ruin people screens, I don't know what is. And I personally think those "picks" are horrible choice for this repair. I never used them in any of my other repairs, but stupidly decided to work with them this time. This is by far one of the most difficult repairs.

Mac Stevenson -

would be WAY EASIER to align and install if designed to be applied on the FRAME instead of the SCREEN, the frame borders serve as guides, while the screen has none. Aside from a slight difficulty aligning the strips, it was simple to perform. Thanks!

nonyo -

Adhesive: Used CRC Brakleen PRO SERIES. Applied sparingly with a Q-tip 2 inches at a time. Softened the adhesive was easily squeezed off with a plastic spudger. Final cleaned with Isopropyl.

Application: Went as instructed including sick book method over night.

Result: Display is secure except on the upper left side ½” below the corner. This is the area where the adhesive narrows for about an inch. The narrowing is not necessary on an iPad Air 2. In hind site adding some Tesa 61395 Tape in the narrowed areas would have prevented reopening to redo the adhesive. At this point using B7000 adhesive may have been a better choice.

dklj -

AT LEAST THIS recognizes that taping the screen back in place is a non-trivial task. I have searched through multiple iPad ifixit repairs and they all say "Now that you have got it apart now just do the reverse with the good part".

FI's

Interesting the the tape is applied prior to reconnecting the digitizer

gerennichols -

Also there is no mention of the magnets in the top right and bottom right. Neither in this adhesive guide or in the original repair manual. The iPad I'm fixing is missing the bottom right piece of the screen and the magnet is gone as well...what can I do?

Zach Benson -