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Heard that the display glass is fixed with the LCD at the Intel iMac 27", A1419 (EMC 2546). But is it possible to apart the glas from the Display? Then i would order the “Front Glass Replacement” via: Shenzhen Green Electronics Co., Ltd. (Hong Kong) Best regards, Wolfgang Update (06/06/2014) O.K.! – What do you think about my plan for replacing the front glass: Getting me:

  • The iMac Intel 27" EMC 2546 and EMC 2639 Adhesive Strips (included 1 pice iMac Opening Tool) $19.95 Product code: IF174-005-1
  • The replacement called: “Intel iMac 27” Front Glass Replacement- for A1419 (EMC 2546) …and routing out someone with experience with UV glue and glass (maybe a glazier?) Best regards and thanks for your help, Wolfgang

The screen is glued to the glass. I have not heard of anyone separating them yet. It’s Apple part #661-7169. Can you give us a link to the part you’re looking at? Here’s the iFixit teams review of the 2012 21", it’s the same for the 27": The new iMac, with its ultra slim bezel proved to be a disappointment to the iFixit team, because both the glass and the LCD are glued to the iMac frame with strong adhesive, which negatively impacts repairability. The late 2012 iMac 21.5" – code-named EMC 2544 – is an exercise in disappointment for us. We were quite worried when we saw that super-thin bezel during Apple’s keynote, and unfortunately we were correct: the glass and LCD are now glued to the iMac’s frame with incredibly strong adhesive. Gone are the lovely magnets that held the glass in place in iMacs of yesteryear.

Sorry, I did not take any pictures. Nor did I put them back together. I cracked the outer glass on my iMac and just bought a new screen + glass assembly to fix it. Since the LCD panel is still in working order I decided to take a shot at separating the two. There is a ring of double stick foam tape, the same stuff that holds the glass panel to the aluminum housing on the iMac. Break through that with a guitar pick. Then with a LOT of patience, a credit card and some baby oil you can separate the screen from the glass panel. Don’t use heat or METAL objects, just be patient and take your time. Braid a couple lengths of dental floss together to get. The middle where your credit card can’t reach. If I were to put the screen back together, I would probably just use the same 3m foam adhesive strips I used to reattach the new screen+glass to my iMac and forget the goop in the middle. My original plan was to find a gutted 21.5" iMac body, install the screen in it with an lvds > HDMI adapter + a compatible power supply to make the 21.5" cinema display that never was, but quickly scrapped the idea because apple uses a non standard LVDS that no one makes an adapter for. And there are no gutted iMac bodies to be found. Update (08/20/2015) Just want to say that it is possible to separate the two . contrary to popular belief, they are not “fused” with UV glue or epoxy or anything like that. There’s a relatively thick layer of silicone based non-curing adhesive holding them together. I scraped about a 1/4 cup of of it off the screen when replacing the cracked glass panel. FWIW, it smells EXACTLY like post it notes and baby oil eats right through it. Just don’t use anything metal to scrape it off the LCD display.

One advice: don’t do it. The glass is bonded to the LCD. you have to cut it off using some wire. Putting it back on is not possible without expensive equipment.

The glass is just a square order of double Dimond clear float glass, A glass shop cut height and width for me. (cost $30) laid it on the iMac and traced the corners with a very fine felt pen. Then bought a glass cutter and cut the corners just a bit larger than they should be. Used a belt sander with an extremely fine grit belt, and had had someone spay water at the contact points between the glass and the belt sander as I slowly wore it down to the felt pen marks. cleaned the glass well with non ammonia glass cleaner. Placed it back on the iMac and marked the black put areas. Used a quality frogger masking tape to cover the centre screen viewing area that was not to be painted, used a small round sticker to cover the spot for the top camera lens. Lightly just touched the areas to be painted with 240 grit sandpaper. cleaned glass again with soft no lint rag and no glass cleaner. Used ceramic black spray paint from 2 feet away, making 3 light coats, placed in a pre heated oven at 250 f, then turned it off so it would heat fast but cool slow. This bakes on the ceramic paint Cut the glass off the screen with floss is the best way, twist a few stands together, but it will take a lot, do not use heat at all. Do not use UV fluid, it is a horrific toxic substance that your bring into your home. I am using just clear non acid based high quality silicone (fish tank silicone) to glue the glass back to the screen. Just a thin even coat that I dropped 1 corner on first and slow laid the rest down. moved the glass in different directions to work out the extra chalking. Final positioning, wiped off the extra oozed out chalking with vinegar then let it dry over night. Then reinstalled the screen, Note that it takes 2 weeks for the silicone smell to go away and would not leave it in my house for the first few days anyways, a garage is best, cold will not affect the bond or the cure. I want to try wild colours instead of black, but it has to be ceramic paint, for all other types will loose bond with the glass after a short while, really is a low cost fix.

You can do it with the right equipment if you want to, but it will take more time then it would if you had just replaced it as a single part. Glass only is meant for shops who know how to do it, rather then consumer use. The main problem with consumers doing this is they probably can’t do it and there’s a increased chance of panel damage which ends with a useless piece of glass and a new assembly anyway. Anyway, if you want to do it you need a glass separator machine (this will cost you a few thousand bucks) and a bottle of LOCA UV curing glue to re-bond the screen to the new glass, and a UV light to cure it. If you get this wrong, the LOCA glue will penetrate and ruin the display. So yes, it is possible. It just doesn’t make sense for me or you to do it because we do not have the equipment and we will screw the job up.

Where can I buy a machine to handle A1418 and A1419 screen separation ??

I just completed the process of separating a nearly demolished glass panel from the LCD. It was a tedious task involving a lot of cussing and convoluted facial expressions over the course of about two hours. I started with a separator tool (you know the one with the flimsy tip on one end and a cute but worthless thin circle of plastic on the other. That was a waste of about 20 minutes. I changed to a metal ruler (with a cork backing facing the LCD) and a hairdryer. I figured that I was already looking at having to pay for the entire LCD glass assembly if I failed and only the glass with some double sided tape if I pulled it off (literally). I spent nearly an hour and a half heating the screen just enough to loosen up the glue and wedge the ruler a little deeper into the void. Once I pulled off the last of the glass, I scraped the LCD face with an old credit card until I got the big lumps off. I pulled out the goo gone and lightly spritzed it on the screen (careful not to get too close to the sides). I tried to wipe the goo gone off with an old wash cloth but it was only getting stuck and sucking the goo gone off the screen before working it into the glue. I went up to my bathroom and stole some of my wife’s make up cotton circle things. They are just the right combination of sturdy and gentle. I used them to work in the goo gone and a new dry one to sop up the mess. I used a total of maybe six or seven of them and the screen is completely glue free. Would I do this again? Heck no. There were some light scratches on the LCD when I was done and the cleanup was awful. It has been a little more than an hour and I still have sticky forearms despite vigorously washing several times with soap, glass cleaner, goo gone, and a host of other cleaning and grease busting products. You can do this but is it really worth saving $150-250?

Why bother putting back a glass ? The LCD works fine and even better without it. https://www.pizzaundervolt.com/2020/12/2…