FAQ
In this section you can find the answers to frequently asked questions.
Which types of products can be developed using the pilot line?
Flexible OLEDs are large area, energy efficient light sources that are ultra-thin (<0.2 mm), highly bendable, very lightweight, and even transparent. They can be made or cut to any shape or size, and have the potential to be integrated into formed parts or seamlessly bonded onto curved surfaces. Using this technology, the pilot line will provide the opportunity for companies to create exciting new value adding lighting and signage products in many different application areas, such as automotive, aerospace, architecture, and the built environment, and consumer electronics.
What does “open access” mean?
Open access means that any potential customer can use the pilot line services. It is not a ‘closed shop’, but instead an independent service where companies who are interested in creating flexible OLED lighting or signage products can work on their concepts in partnership with the best technology service providers in Europe, reducing the risks, cost and time needed for product development.
Which units shall the open access pilot line include?
The pilot line includes all the steps required to turn OLED lighting concepts into advanced product prototypes. Specialist flexible substrates, moisture barrier and electrode films, and sheet-to-sheet and roll-to-roll OLED devices are all included, as well as all the system-level integration steps to incorporate the flexible OLED films and the other flexible electronics needed into a product form.
Where will the pilot line be located?
The pilot line is based on combining existing-state-of-the-art infrastructure and expertise for the fabrication of flexible OLED devices built up over the past 10 years at the locations of the PI-SCALE technology service providing partners.
When is the pilot line scheduled to go online?
PI-SCALE is already serving 4 launching customers, Audi, REHAU, Emdedesign and Pilkington, who will validate the pilot line service by using it to develop flexible OLED lighting products in the automotive, aeronautics and designer luminaires sectors. We expect the pilot line to be ready to serve additional customers from some time during 2017, but are keen to already hear from any companies who may be interested in using the pilot line services in the future. For more information please contact us via www.pi-scale.eu
Is the pilot line also intended to assist in scaling up to mass production?
The pilot line is positioned to bridge the gap between R&D and mass production, offering small-to-medium scale pre-production runs of customised flexible OLED devices with a volume of up to 5000 m2 of OLEDs/year. So the pilot line itself will not mass produce flexible OLEDs, but by working with the pilot line companies should be able to make important decisions about their final product design, test their concepts in up-scaled manufacturing processes, and have large numbers of product prototypes for application-specific operational testing (TRL7). They will also gain the required flexible OLED technology knowhow and supply chain links to transfer the product they have developed using the pilot line to a mass production facility.
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