Mar 16 2006
Sumitomo Chemical and Seiko Epson have jointly developed an ultra-high-intensity electro-luminescent polymer material for use as the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) light source in print head applications.
Current printing presses and printers that use electro-photographic printing technology generally employ either laser or LED light sources. However, through the combination of the ultra-high-intensity electro-luminescent polymer material developed by Sumitomo Chemical with Epson’s printer and display technology, the companies have successfully developed a new type of printing technology using an OLED method. The advantages of this method are not only the evenness of the images it produces, but also the thinness and compactness of the print head. This is achieved through a process by which the OLED material is coated directly onto a glass substrate, allowing a single substrate to have a linear light source, and making possible irradiation with precision regulation of brightness and pinpoint accuracy.
Sumitomo Chemical has accumulated a wealth of display material technologies and electro-conductive polymer technologies in the course of its many years in the business. In May of last year, Sumitomo Chemical acquired Lumation®, Dow Chemical’s OLED business for displays, and in November, formed a joint venture with the British company, Cambridge Display Technology, for the development, production and sales of OLED materials. This further strengthened the company’s development capabilities in the field of high-intensity luminescent materials for applications such as displays and lighting. The current joint development is a foray into a new field for Sumitomo Chemical’s technology. The company is committed to accelerating its development efforts in high-growth segments in the future.
http://www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp