Konica Minolta to build a new pilot production line for OLED lighting

Konica Minolta has been developing OLED lighting as one of its promising new businesses.

 

The company announced the construction of a new roll-to-roll pilot coating line to manufacture OLED lighting within its Hino facility in Tokyo. The pilot facility which should be completed by the autumn of next year will work towards establishing the technology for the mass-production and sale of OLED lighting.

 

3.5 billion yen will be spent and it is hoped the product will be commerialised within the fiscal year 2010.

 

In March 2007, Konica Minolta signed a strategic alliance agreement with General Electric Company of the United States to accelerate the development, aiming to commercialize the OLED lighting within the fiscal year 2010.

 

Prior to the alliance, in June 2006, Konica Minolta succeeded in developing a white OLED device with a world record power efficiency of 64 lumens per watt at 1000 candela per square meter, while having practical light emission level of approximately 10,000 hours - a brightness suitable for lighting applications.

 

The technologies for material, coating, multi-layer design, and optical design, nurtured through the development of photographic film and optical lens, have been fully adopted in the development of OLED lighting. For the pilot line, Konica Minolta designed and developed its own roll-to-roll coating method to manufacture flexible plastic-base OLED lighting. This method will serve as the key to accomplishing cost advantage for OLED lighting in the future.

 

OLED lighting is attracting attention as the next generation lighting because of unprecedented features such as flexible, thin, light weight, and sheet form. In addition, it features high energy efficiency, relatively low temperature, and ease of recycling since it is mercury-free unlike fluorescent lightings. Furthermore, the lighting technology is mild to eyes and friendly to people, since it is free of ultra-violet rays.

 

For more visit http://www.konicaminolta.com .