In this blog, I intend to give readers an overview of how smartphone is made and recycled.
The manufacturing
of a smartphone in your pocket has a long procedure. It first must be designed
and made prototypes of. The internal components are then laid into a
prototype. The manufacturing starts with the body.
The body is
usually carved out from a large piece of aluminum or recycled aluminum. After
carving, the body is pressure-washed and made dry. The internals are then laid
into the body - the PCBs, cameras, speaker, etc. The speakers, charging port and
the haptic feedback (Vibration Motor) are all handled by a secondary PCB.
The secondary PCB and the rest of the components all
get connected to the main PCB and then are sprayed with conformal coating.
(This coating is only applied on some smartphones). This coating is water resistant and hence helps protect the components from damage caused by water.
The display panel which is usually manufactured by Samsung, TCL, LG, BOE Technology or some other
manufacturer, is put in and connected along with the battery. The phone then
goes through QC Check (Quality Control) to be checked by hand to make sure
everything is working as expected.
Later, the back panel is put on and glued together. Now the smartphone takes it final shape and is passed through a
stress test and display check to see if it can handle load and if the panel
works as expected.
After stress test, it is passed through IP testing, if it is IP rated. IP stands for Ingress Protection which means resistance to water, dirt and dust. IP rating is marked on phone box. IP XX - First Digit is Solids Protection, Second Digit is Liquids Protection (XX are variables). Table below explains each number. However, not all units are tested. Approximately 1 in 10 is tested.
Finally, the phone is set to factory setting and sent for packaging and then to various sales outlets, stores and third-party resellers.
When the phone is disposed of by the user, it is disassembled. Valuable minerals like Gold, Nickel, Platinum, etc. are extracted from the phone and the aluminum body is recycled. The batteries are safely disposed of by the recycler or the smartphone company itself.
For reference
IP Rating Chart
Below is an
easy to follow reference chart to help you decide which IP rating you need or
have.
IP Number
|
First Digit - SOLIDS
|
Second Digit - LIQUIDS
|
IP00
|
Not protected from
solids.
|
Not protected from
liquids.
|
IP01
|
Not protected from
solids.
|
Protected from
condensation.
|
IP02
|
Not protected from
solids.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical.
|
IP03
|
Not protected from
solids.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical.
|
IP04
|
Not protected from
solids.
|
Protected from
water spray from any direction.
|
IP05
|
Not protected from
solids.
|
Protected from low
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP06
|
Not protected from
solids.
|
Protected from high
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP07
|
Not protected from
solids.
|
Protected from
immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 meter in depth.
|
IP08
|
Not protected from
solids.
|
Protected from long
term immersion up to a specified pressure.
|
IP10
|
Protected from
touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres.
|
Not protected from
liquids.
|
IP11
|
Protected from
touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres.
|
Protected from
condensation.
|
IP12
|
Protected from
touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical.
|
IP13
|
Protected from
touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical.
|
IP14
|
Protected from
touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres.
|
Protected from
water spray from any direction.
|
IP15
|
Protected from
touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres.
|
Protected from low
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP16
|
Protected from
touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres.
|
Protected from high
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP17
|
Protected from
touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres.
|
Protected from
immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 meter in depth.
|
IP18
|
Protected from
touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres.
|
Protected from long
term immersion up to a specified pressure.
|
IP20
|
Protected from
touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres.
|
Not protected from
liquids.
|
IP21
|
Protected from
touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres.
|
Protected from
condensation.
|
IP22
|
Protected from
touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical.
|
IP23
|
Protected from
touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical.
|
IP24
|
Protected from
touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres.
|
Protected from
water spray from any direction.
|
IP25
|
Protected from
touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres.
|
Protected from low
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP26
|
Protected from
touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres.
|
Protected from high
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP27
|
Protected from
touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres.
|
Protected from
immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 meter in depth.
|
IP28
|
Protected from
touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres.
|
Protected from long
term immersion up to a specified pressure.
|
IP30
|
Protected from
tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres.
|
Not protected from
liquids.
|
IP31
|
Protected from
tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres.
|
Protected from
condensation.
|
IP32
|
Protected from
tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical.
|
IP33
|
Protected from
tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical.
|
IP34
|
Protected from
tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres.
|
Protected from
water spray from any direction.
|
IP35
|
Protected from
tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres.
|
Protected from low
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP36
|
Protected from
tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres.
|
Protected from high
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP37
|
Protected from
tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres.
|
Protected from
immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 meter in depth.
|
IP38
|
Protected from
tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres.
|
Protected from long
term immersion up to a specified pressure.
|
IP40
|
Protected from
tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre.
|
Not protected from
liquids.
|
IP41
|
Protected from
tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre.
|
Protected from
condensation.
|
IP42
|
Protected from
tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical.
|
IP43
|
Protected from
tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical.
|
IP44
|
Protected from
tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre.
|
Protected from
water spray from any direction.
|
IP45
|
Protected from
tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre.
|
Protected from low
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP46
|
Protected from
tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre.
|
Protected from high
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP47
|
Protected from
tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre.
|
Protected from
immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 meter in depth.
|
IP48
|
Protected from
tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre.
|
Protected from long
term immersion up to a specified pressure.
|
IP50
|
Protected from
limited dust ingress.
|
Not protected from
liquids.
|
IP51
|
Protected from
limited dust ingress.
|
Protected from
condensation.
|
IP52
|
Protected from
limited dust ingress.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical.
|
IP53
|
Protected from
limited dust ingress.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical.
|
IP54
|
Protected from
limited dust ingress.
|
Protected from
water spray from any direction.
|
IP55
|
Protected from
limited dust ingress.
|
Protected from low
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP56
|
Protected from
limited dust ingress.
|
Protected from high
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP57
|
Protected from
limited dust ingress.
|
Protected from
immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 meter in depth.
|
IP58
|
Protected from limited
dust ingress.
|
Protected from long
term immersion up to a specified pressure.
|
IP60
|
Protected from
total dust ingress.
|
Not protected from
liquids.
|
IP61
|
Protected from
total dust ingress.
|
Protected from
condensation.
|
IP62
|
Protected from
total dust ingress.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical.
|
IP63
|
Protected from
total dust ingress.
|
Protected from
water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical.
|
IP64
|
Protected from
total dust ingress.
|
Protected from
water spray from any direction.
|
IP65
|
Protected from
total dust ingress.
|
Protected from low
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP66
|
Protected from
total dust ingress.
|
Protected from high
pressure water jets from any direction.
|
IP67
|
Protected from
total dust ingress.
|
Protected from
immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 meter in depth.
|
IP68
|
Protected from
total dust ingress.
|
Protected from long
term immersion up to a specified pressure.
|
IP69K
|
Protected from
total dust ingress.
|
Protected from steam-jet
cleaning.
|