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LG Display Initiates MP at Its Gen 5 OLED Lighting Panel Fab
December 17, 2017
 
LG Display announced that the company started mass production at its new Gen 5 OLED light panel production line in Gumi, Korea and launched its new OLED light brand, Luflex. The Gen 5 line (1,100mm x 1,250mm) has an initial capacity of 15,000 sheets/month, which is about a 30-fold increase as compared to the previous Gen 2 line (370mm x 470mm) with monthly capacity of 4,000 sheets. The production capacity will be gradually ramped up. LG Display also unveiled its new Luflex brand for the company’s OLED light panels. Luflex is a portmanteau of “lux” (light in Latin) and “flexibility,” reflecting a core characteristic of OLED lighting – that it is flexible, bendable and rollable, making it highly design-friendly. It is also a value creator that offers a premium sense by converging naturally into various applications, such as mirrors and furniture. As a lighting solution, OLED is easier on the eyes than conventional sources such as fluorescent and LED, as it is very close to sunlight and offers great uniformity in its luminescence. It is virtually heatless, meaning that it can be used to illuminate, for example, food displays or antique wooden furniture or buildings. At just 0.41mm thick, OLED light panels are slim and their flexibility means that they can be creatively shaped into curves or spirals – an attribute impossible before, and which cannot be done with other light sources. World-famous industrial designers including Ron Arad and Ross Lovegrove have already adopted OLED lighting panels for experimental applications. Customers have commented that OLED lighting installations, beyond providing simple illumination, can actually improve the attractiveness of spaces.
 
LG Display has also started mass production of OLED taillights for automobiles, which has drawn attention from global automakers and tier-1 component companies. In the case of general OLED lights, the company has established various installations in hotels, retail spaces, food and beverage outlets, universities, etc., and more and more customers are making inquiries after seeing these projects. The overall market environment is turning more and more positive and encouraging towards OLED lights. According to ID Tech Ex, the global OLED light panel market is expected to grow at 52% CAGR over the next decade and will expand in value to USD2.2 billion in 2026. Of course, ID Tech Ex and other market researchers have had numerous forecasts, which have all proven to be erroneous.
 
Figure 1: Luflex Announcement

Source: Company