A UK company that develops flexible electronics for IoT applications is showcasing a full-colour flexible LCD at IDTechEx USA 2015 in California. FlexEnable, based in Cambridge, UK, developed the glass-free organic liquid crystal display (OLCD) using its flexible transistor technology and tips it for use in the mobile, wearable and automotive industries.
The 4.7-in display module has a minimum bend radius of less than 30mm and is 1.3mm thick.
FlexEnable says that - because it has been developed using a maximum processing temperature below 100°C – it can be manufactured using lower cost plastic substrates such as TAC, which is cheaper than display glass.
In addition to reducing materials costs, it increases yield by minimising distortion and enabling a simple, reliable handling method for flex – known as “mount/demount” technology.
Chuck Milligan, CEO of FlexEnable, said: “Conformable, high-quality OLCDs bring a new degree of design freedom for product designers, and offer the lowest cost manufacturing process for flexible, colour video rate displays. They enable new levels of utility to products, and a step change in creative design options for wearables, automotive, mobile devices, and everywhere-ables, bringing surfaces to life almost anywhere and everywhere, with vivid colour and smooth video.”
IDTechEx is currently being held in Santa Clara, USA and runs November 18 to 19, 2015.