An American university presented its very first flexible 3D printed OLED display. It could all simto revolutionize the industry, since this type of tile is currently complicated to manufacture. For now, the printed screen is only a prototype.
Flexible OLED displays are both difficult to manufacture, but also expensive, especially those that embed LPTO technology. This is what makes foldable smartphones so expensive, since it is the most expensive component. However, an American university has just found a much more economical way to manufacture it thanks to 3D printing.
It is the University of Minnesota that shares his new invention. Researchers publish study as well as a video in which we can see a fully flexible screen (and not just via a fold) printed in 3D.
Flexible 3D printed screen could revolutionize the market
As we can see, the different layers are printed for an amazing result: a flexible 1.5-inch OLED display. It can twist in all directions and is inexpensive to produce, unlike the tiles currently used in industry. The screen has 64 pixels and can undergo 2000 “bends” without deterioration (which is not much).
It is only a prototype for the moment, but the operation is encouraging. Professor Michael McAlpine, lead author of the study, cites a reduced manufacturing cost that could be deployed on an industrial scale inexpensively.
“OLED displays are usually produced in huge factories which are very expensive. We just wanted to see if you can build one on our 3D printer. This has been improved by us and costs the same as a Tesla Model S. ”
This approach is still in its infancy, of course, and isn’t going to be adopted by the big names in tech overnight. However, the process is advanced enough to generate some interest.
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American researchers say they will continue on this path. Their goal now is to improve 3D printing in order to increase the pixel density and brightness of their screen.