Data elimination company Garner has launched a new product, the “DiskMantler”, designed to make the process of dismantling traditional mechanical hard drives (HDDs) easier, faster, and even a bit more fun. This device separates all components of a hard drive through intense vibrations within 90 seconds.
Garner’s promotional video is full of wit, showing the easy operation of the “DiskMantler”. Simply insert the hard drive like a videotape, set the timer from 8 to 120 seconds (Garner estimates an average completion time of 60 seconds, varying by drive model), and wait for the drive to be “violently shaken”. After the process, the machine automatically ejects the separated components from the output port and is immediately ready for the next “victim” without any cooldown time.
The editor noticed that this process can completely separate the hard drive’s platters, coils, circuit boards, and all other components. Compared to the industry standard of incineration or crushing, the “DiskMantler” offers a more thorough and environmentally friendly solution. Incinerating hard drives requires temperatures up to 670 degrees Celsius, which not only generates toxic chemicals but also destroys the critically important rare earth magnets, making the process costly. Similarly, crushing or shredding hard drives also consumes a lot of energy and does not fully guarantee data safety, as malicious individuals may still recover data from the fragments.
The “DiskMantler” decomposes hard drives by vibration, avoiding potential environmental hazards brought by burning or crushing, and allows for better recycling and reuse of the separated components. The rare earth magnets inside the hard drives are a key target in the recycling process, as governments and research institutions consider them “critical materials” in the transition to clean energy. Circuit boards, platters, and other components also have recyclable value. Garner hopes that this method of “vibration disassembly” will encourage users and clients to practice more responsible electronic product recycling.
However, it is important to note that although this method can reduce the pollution of electronic waste to the environment, decomposing hard drives into basic components by vibration alone cannot achieve 100% data eradication. After all, even crushing hard drives cannot fully guarantee data safety, let alone intact platters after vibration treatment. For this reason, Garner plans to introduce a complementary product, the “DeMag”, a “super demagnetizer” that claims to eliminate all residual data on the hard drive platters and “release” the rare earth magnets, preventing them from clumping together during the “DiskMantler’s” processing.
The price of the “DiskMantler” is not yet clear, but it is speculated to be not inexpensive.
Disclaimer: This article is created by the original author. The content of the article represents their personal opinions. Our reposting is for sharing and discussion purposes only and does not imply our endorsement or agreement. If you have any objections, please contact us through the provided channels.
