TL; PhD
- LG Chem developed Real Folding Window technology.
- This saw a special coating applied to a thin plastic film.
- This solution has the same hardness as glass, but is as flexible as plastic.
Nowadays, many foldable mobile phones have two main problems, namely, the folding display has creases and the plastic top layer of the screen is usually softer than the traditional smart phone display made of glass.Now, LG Chem has Announce A new type of cover material that is expected to solve these problems.
The company today demonstrated its so-called “real folding window” technology, which uses a specially developed coating form covered on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic film. LG Chem added that this material is thinner than existing tempered glass, but has the same hardness and flexibility as plastic.
“Different from the existing polyimide film and tempered glass materials, the cover window using LG Chem’s new coating technology will maximize flexibility while also providing optimized solutions for foldable mobile phones, such as improving chronic Problems, such as fold marks on the connecting part. Screen (sic),” a company spokesperson said.
related: The best foldable phone you can buy right now
LG Chem stated that the Real Folding Window “completely maintained its durability” after being folded 200,000 times. The company added that the technology can be used for internal and external foldable displays. The solution also made significant improvements to the “fold line” on the folding area of the screen (ie, reduced creases).
The company also stated that it is working to provide special coatings that do not use plastic films. This probably opens the door for manufacturers who just want to enhance the design of their foldable phone that they have completed, similar to adding Gorilla Glass.
So when can we buy the first foldable phone with this technology? It looks like we are waiting for a long time because LG Chem stated that it will only gain mass production capacity in 2022, adding that it will start “full-scale” sales in 2023. The company said it is also considering expanding beyond mobile phones and applying the technology to laptops and tablets. LG Chem stated that it has received suggestions from multiple customers for joint projects.
We have asked the company about the comparison with ultra-thin glass in terms of cost and other factors, and will update the article accordingly.