E-book readers and cellphones with flexible and bendable touch screens are some of the products that could benefit thanks to a new machine unveiled by researchers at the state-run Institute of Nuclear Energy Research.
Ai Chi-fong (艾啟峰), director of the institute’s physics division and one of the researchers on the project — the first of its kind in Taiwan — said yesterday that while a majority of touch screens are manufactured using glass, his process allows the use of plastic, which is less fragile, ultimately making the process cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
The machine uses a manufacturing process involving plasma to create rolls of indium tin oxide (ITO) film, which are an essential component of plastic touch screens. Similar machines made abroad — which are not widely available — cost between NT$100 million (US$3.1 million) and NT$120 million.
A capacitive touch screen usually consists of an insulator (usually glass or plastic), coated with a transparent conductor film such as ITO. Touching the surface of the screen allows software to determine the location of the contact.
The machine allows the application of film to plastics at room temperatures, overcoming earlier problems where plastics would melt or become unusable because of the high temperatures that were needed.
He said that while manufacturers in some countries — including Japan and the US — have already begun to use similar processes, little efforts had been made in Taiwan.
He said the technology is an improvement on existing devices as it makes the manufacturing process more environmentally friendly and cost effective. Taiwanese manufacturers would also save on licensing fees paid to foreign manufacturers, which would result in lower prices for end products.
This device has many implications for the ability of Taiwan’s technology firms to better compete overseas, Ai said.
Other researchers at the institute said the machine could also be used in other sectors. Plasma coating, which is a core feature of the machine, can also be used in construction and industrial tools, researchers said, adding that it may also have military applications.
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