disassembled

Disassembled is the past participle of disassemble, meaning to take something apart into its constituent components. It describes a state in which a device, structure, or system has been separated into its subassemblies and parts, typically for inspection, repair, maintenance, analysis, or recycling.

In physical contexts, disassembly is a planned stage of servicing or refurbishment. It involves systematically removing fasteners, housings, and subassemblies in a way that preserves parts for reuse or documentation. Tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, and torque wrenches are common, and technicians may label or photograph components to aid reassembly. Safety considerations include preventing damage to delicate parts, managing fluids or hazardous materials, and, for electronics, mitigating electrostatic discharge.

In electronics and machinery, disassembly is often followed by cleaning, inspection for wear or failure, replacement of defective components, and testing before reassembly. Proper procedure helps extend the life of equipment and supports diagnostics or salvage operations. Recyclers may disassemble equipment to separate materials for recycling streams.

In computing and software, disassembly refers to converting executable machine code into a human-readable form such as assembly language. A file described as disassembled has been analyzed with a disassembler tool to examine its instructions, often for debugging, reverse engineering, or malware analysis. This digital form of disassembly serves analytical purposes rather than physical reconstruction.

See also: disassembly, maintenance, repair, reverse engineering.