I’ve opened a 3 and man… Here’s the thing: This is no ordinary adhesive. The temperature that it required to even BEGIN to release it’s hold was extraordinary. On the inside of the cover, there are thermal stickers, similar to litmus paper that detects moisture. These detect heat.
This piqued my curiosity so I dug around… Although I have been unable to find an official, confirmed answer, I believe it is a vacuum activated adhesive.
What I know is that when Microsoft “inspects” units for warranty replacement in Texas, they do no open them here. They get sent to China for that. It is feasible to assume that manufacturers there would absolutely have the necessary equipment to safely open up one of these clams.
If ANYBODY out there has a vacuum chamber to test this theory, share! By all means!