sustainablySMART · Project

Automated Disassembly and Remanufacturing Technology for Smartphones, Tablets, and Electronics

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When your old phone breaks or becomes outdated, it usually gets shredded into raw materials — losing all the value of the carefully made components inside. This project built machines that can automatically take apart phones and tablets, test which parts still work, and put them back into new devices. Think of it like a car dismantler, but for electronics — pulling out good chips, screens, and batteries instead of crushing everything. They even produced a pilot batch of 30 redesigned tablets built specifically to be taken apart and rebuilt.

By the numbers

D4R tablet units produced as pilot batch

consortium partners across the project

SMEs in the consortium

72%

industry partner ratio in consortium

countries represented in consortium

EUR 6,989,278

total EU contribution to the project

technology demonstration and validation deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Every year, millions of smartphones and tablets reach end of life and get shredded into raw materials, destroying high-value components that could be reused. Current recycling processes cannot efficiently disassemble devices or test individual parts for reuse, making remanufacturing uneconomical compared to simply crushing and smelting. Electronics manufacturers also face growing EU regulatory pressure to design repairable, circular products but lack the tools and processes to comply.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered automated disassembly equipment, sorting and handling machinery, remanufactured packaged semiconductors with validated quality, a modular IoT system demonstrator (Puzzle IoT), a pilot batch of 30 redesigned tablets (D4R tablet), devices with reused components, and a validated Reparability Score tool. In total, 17 deliverables were produced, with 8 reaching technology demonstration or validation stage.

Audience

Who needs this

E-waste recyclers and WEEE processors looking to extract more value from discarded electronicsSmartphone and tablet manufacturers preparing for EU Right to Repair complianceIndependent electronics refurbishers and component resellersSemiconductor and component distributors seeking certified second-life partsCircular economy consultants advising electronics companies on product redesign

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Electronics Recycling & E-Waste Processing

mid-size

Target: E-waste recyclers and WEEE processors

If you are an e-waste processor still relying on shredding to recover materials from old phones and tablets — this project developed automated disassembly and sorting equipment that extracts reusable components and modules intact. Instead of melting everything down, you can pull out working semiconductors, batteries, and circuit boards and sell them as tested parts, creating significantly more value per device than raw material recovery.

Consumer Electronics Manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Smartphone and tablet manufacturers or contract manufacturers

If you are an electronics manufacturer facing pressure from EU Right to Repair regulations and circular economy mandates — this project developed a Design-for-Circular-Economy approach with a validated Reparability Score tool. The D4R tablet concept, produced as a pilot batch of 30 units, demonstrates how to design modular devices that can be disassembled, repaired, and remanufactured at end of life, reducing warranty costs and compliance risk.

Semiconductor & Component Refurbishment

SME

Target: Independent component distributors and refurbishment companies

If you are a component distributor or refurbisher struggling with quality assurance for recovered electronic parts — this project developed validated technology for remanufacturing packaged semiconductors and high-quality performance testing for batteries and modules. This creates a reliable supply of tested, reusable components from end-of-life devices, opening a market for certified second-life parts across 8 countries in the consortium.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt this disassembly and remanufacturing technology?

The project does not publish per-unit or licensing costs. The total EU research investment was EUR 6,989,278 across 18 partners, which funded equipment development, pilot production, and validation. Contact the consortium through SciTransfer for pricing on technology transfer or equipment licensing.

Can this work at industrial scale, not just in a lab?

The project moved beyond lab-scale: they produced a pilot batch of 30 D4R tablets and built working technology demonstrators for automated disassembly, sorting, and handling equipment. With 13 industry partners (72% of the consortium) and 9 SMEs involved, the technology was designed with commercial scale-up in mind.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

As an EU-funded RIA project, IP is typically retained by the partners who generated it. Fraunhofer coordinates the consortium of 18 partners across 8 countries. Licensing arrangements would need to be negotiated with the relevant partners — SciTransfer can facilitate introductions.

Does this comply with current EU regulations on electronics and circular economy?

The project directly addresses EU circular economy requirements by developing Design-for-Circular-Economy methods for electronics and a validated Reparability Score tool. This aligns with the EU Right to Repair directive and WEEE regulations. The consortium included partners from 8 EU countries ensuring broad regulatory relevance.

How long would implementation take for our facility?

The project ran from September 2015 to October 2019 and delivered validated technology demonstrators and a pilot batch. Based on available project data, the core disassembly and sorting equipment reached technology demonstration stage, meaning industrial deployment would require engineering customization rather than fundamental R&D.

Can this integrate with our existing recycling or manufacturing lines?

The project developed modular components — separate sorting, disassembly, and testing equipment — that could be integrated into existing lines. The Puzzle IoT modular system demonstrator and the automated disassembly equipment were designed as distinct modules, suggesting flexibility in deployment configurations.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavily industry-driven project: 13 of 18 partners come from industry, with 9 being SMEs — giving a 72% industry ratio that is unusually high for EU research. Fraunhofer, one of Europe's leading applied research organizations, coordinates from Germany. The consortium spans 8 countries (AT, CY, DE, FI, IE, NL, PL, SE), covering key European electronics manufacturing and recycling markets. With only 1 university partner and 3 research organizations, this project was clearly built for commercialization rather than academic publication. The strong SME presence suggests the technology was designed to be accessible to smaller operators, not just large OEMs.

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIENparticipant · AT
AT & S AUSTRIA TECHNOLOGIE & SYSTEMTECHNIK AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTparticipant · AT
PRIMETEL PLCparticipant · CY
OSTERREICHISCHE GESELLSCHAFT FUR SYSTEM- UND AUTOMATISIERUNGSTECHNIKparticipant · AT
IFIXIT GMBHparticipant · DE
PRO AUTOMATION GMBHparticipant · AT
CIRCULAR DEVICES OYparticipant · FI

How to reach the team

Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (DE) — contact through SciTransfer for a warm introduction to the right research group.

Order a report on this consortium

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the disassembly equipment or Reparability Score tool? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the Fraunhofer team and relevant industry partners.

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