According to The Elec, LG Display has begun developing equipment at its plants to create OLED screens exclusively for future iPad versions.
In order to meet Apple’s demand for OLED display panels for future iPad models, the firm is said to be making major changes to its manufacturing lines. OLED manufacturing equipment has just been moved to LG Display’s facility in the south Korean city of Paju, the report claims. According to insiders who spoke with The Elec, moving active equipment to a different manufacturing line is very unusual since it necessitates calibration and runs the risk of harm.
For the iPhone, LG is building a third flexible OLED panel manufacturing line in Paju, South Korea, where it currently has two lines in operation. A fourth production line will produce stiff OLED panels. Each manufacturing line can produce up to 15,000 panels a month on its own.
Second time Paju plant has been claimed to be important to Apple’s OLED iPad ambitions. Earlier this month, ETNews reported that LG Display intended to increase production at its Paju facility in order to meet the demand for panels for the next iterations of iPhone and iPad. LG is reportedly intending to begin mass manufacturing of OLED displays at its Paju factory in 2024, even though an OLED display for the iPad is expected to be introduced in 2017. According to current sources, the OLED iPad is expected to be released between 2023 and 2024.
While LG is working on OLED manufacturing lines for future iPad models, it is not the only one. According to reports, BOE, a Chinese display panel manufacturer, is preparing to offer OLED panels for next iPad models.
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Production Lines for iPad OLED Display Panels in detail
There has been some speculation that LG Display is adjusting its manufacturing plans so it can produce twice as many OLED screens in time for a new iPad, according to The Elec.
In order to match Apple’s high requirements for iPad quality, the South Korean business is moving equipment to its Paju facility, according to sources.
Tensioners, which line metal masks during the deposition process to deposit OLED materials, are thought to be among the equipment being relocated.
“The sources claim that moving manufacturing equipment from one line to another is very infrequent. This is due to the equipment’s vulnerability to damage during shipment and the fact that it must be precisely calibrated for each of their individual manufacturing lines. These OLED panels will be used by Apple in future iPad models, and LG Display is presumably preparing for their manufacturing.
New high-resolution OLED screens for the iPad will be easier for LG to produce, according to reports. After pledging to spend 3.3 trillion won in its Paju facility, which also produces iPhone screens, by 2024, LG has now made good on its promise.
An OLED iPad isn’t mentioned in the article, which is unfortunate. Due to LG’s ongoing equipment movement and the length of time it takes to reach mass production, an update is unlikely to be released in 2019.
According to a fresh report from The Elec, LG Display is relocating OLED manufacturing equipment from its E5 line in Gumi, South Korea to its factory in Paju in preparation for the manufacture of OLED panels for the iPad.
Tensioners are supposedly being transferred between plants. The tiny metal masks that align the red, green, and blue organic components during the deposition process are pulled and fixed in place using tensioners in Gen 6 (1500x1850mm) OLED panel manufacture.
According to the sources, moving manufacturing equipment from one line to another is an unusual occurrence. According to their reasoning, this is due to the equipment’s vulnerability to damage during shipping and the fact that it must be precisely calibrated for each individual manufacturing line. For the manufacture of OLED panels that Apple expects to employ in future iPad models, LG Display is likely to be doing so, according to the sources.
There are currently two lines at LG’s Paju factory that make OLED panels for iPhones: E6-1 and E6-2. A second E6-3 line is being built by the same business. Rigid OLED panels are apparently being manufactured on an E6-4 line.
In 2024, an OLED iPad is expected to be released, and Samsung is expected to provide the panels.