Liquavista releases new machine to enable high volume manufacture

New machine will enable high volume filling and coupling of Liquavista's electrowetting displays

6th October 2010 – Liquavista BV has released a new machine that enables high volume filling and coupling of its electrowetting displays. This has been made and designed with VDL ETG Projects in Eindhoven and marks a significant step in bringing screens with Liquavista technology to volume production.

"The successful deployment of this new machine in our prototyping facility, is the final step in demonstrating how easy it is to take Liquavista's technology and slot it directly into an existing LCD manufacturing line" said Guy Demuynck, Liquavista's CEO. "From the beginning Liquavista has striven to align its manufacturing process with existing LCD processes so manufacturers can quickly embrace the benefits of its electrowetting technology, and convert large scale manufacturing capacities with very little investment and inconvenience ."

"We are very pleased to have achieved this important milestone in our cooperation with Liquavista" stated Arie van Kraay, Managing Director at VDL. "Working together with Liquavista on this high tech, customized machine has clearly demonstrated VDL's unique abilities in the field of manufacturing equipment".

"Almost the entire production line for electrowetting displays uses existing machines used in LCD production. This machine is the only piece of equipment that is unique to the manufacture of electrowetting displays and has been designed to be fully compatible with any generation substrate," added Johan Feenstra, Liquavista's Founder and CTO. "While the new machine will first be used in our existing prototyping facility to manufacture small quantities of displays, we expect to transfer copies of the machine to our volume manufacturing partners soon."

Liquavista's technology is the only display technology other than LCD, which operates in all three modes (reflective, transmissive and transflective) but with strongly increased optical performance. Liquavista has developed electrowetting display technology to be almost entirely compatible with existing LCD manufacturing techniques and processes, thereby greatly reducing its manufacturing and production costs. The new machine manages the only deviation from a standard LCD process, namely the process of filling, coupling and sealing each display. This process occurs at the end of the manufacturing cycle and therefore does not impact the general manufacturing flow in the rest of the LCD manufacturing facility. Described as LCD 2.0, Liquavista's technology is a straightforward upgrade for existing manufacturing facilities. This enables Liquavista's partners to re-use their manufacturing assets quickly and easily to manufacture displays and bring exciting, highly differentiated products to life with both enhanced usability and performance, yet with a rapid time-to-market.

Offering bright and colorful images that ensure excellent indoor and outdoor readability and use dramatically less battery power, Liquavista's displays offer a truly multimedia experience for the consumer.