Samsung Display will be selecting the ink-jet printing equipment provider for the world’s first QD display color filter in December, according to industry sources on Nov. 26
The top two competitors are US-based Kateeva that is a leading the market for small-sized OLED TFE ink-jet printing equipment and Samsung Electronics’ affiliate Semes. “Samsung Display is eager to make this technology its own, as it is the world’s first,” said one market insider.
Ink-jet printing equipment is needed to help create the QD color filters. It is the world’s first kind in for producing QD displays. “Whether it’s a PO or LOI, the decision will be made next month,” said one source in the ink-jet printing industry. “Currently, the related parties are negotiating the prices.”
Samsung Display is expected to place orders for up to five QD color filter ink-jet printing machines and two TFE ink-jet equipment for the QD color filters at its Q1 production lines capable of producing up to 30,000 Gen-8.5 boards a month. QD color filter ink-jet equipment is priced at around 20 billion won per unit.
Last month, Samsung Display announced plans to invest 13.1 trillion won into QD displays, saying it’s the world’s first investment into the segment. It also said parts of the funds would be used for securing ink-jet printing equipment and development mass-production technology.
Semes has the experience of supplying LC printing equipment and PI ink-jet printing equipment to the Gen-8.5 LCD production lines at Samsung Display’s Suzhou plant.
Kateeva, on the other hand, made its name by producing OLED TFE ink-jet printing equipment. Samsung Display had used mostly Kateeva to attain TFE ink-jet printing equipment for its small and mid-sized OLED production lines, with the rest supplied from Semes.
At the end of 2018, Samsung Display received the Semes equipment, and beginning in May, it received equipment from Kateeva.
The Elec is South Korea's No.1 tech news platform.
