LG Foldable Display Technology
LG Electronics has exited the smartphone business, but LG’s other divisions are still performing strongly. Recently, LG Chem announced the development of a new foldable display coating material, which can make the screen panel hard as glass, but also has the same flexibility as plastic.
In addition, the new coating has the added advantage of effectively reducing creases. LG foldable display models from manufacturers such as Samsung and Huawei have been criticized by consumers due to folding problems, and this new material should avoid too obvious creases.
LG’s new folding technology can be folded both inward and outward for a wide range of uses. LG Chem says the new display coating contains no plastic components, which means current phone makers will now be able to switch their foldable displays to the new material without having to make major design changes again.
The panel, called Real Folding Window, is a coating material developed specifically for use as a transparent PET film, a thermoplastic polymer resin. By adding just a few microns of the new material to both sides of the sheet, screen manufacturers will be able to create a plastic-like, heat-resistant panel for better durability.
LG Chem says the new glass hard coating will also be very reliable. It has already passed 200,000 folding tests and will remain durable. The problem, however, is that the new folding coating will be difficult to mass-produce shortly. The company says mass production could be achieved as early as 2022 and mass production-ready products in 2023.
Real folding windows are a step toward solving the problems customers find in today’s foldable products (creases and durability), said Chang Do Ki, vice president and division head of Advanced Materials. The new technology will first appear in cell phones, followed by laptops and tablets.
