Chinese panel manufacturer BOE has recently announced the construction of its 8.6G IT OLED production line, known as B16. This development has significantly benefited numerous South Korean equipment manufacturers. In a recent report, South Korean manufacturer Wonik IPS has reportedly secured an order for polyimide (PI) curing equipment for BOE's B16 production line.
According to TheElec, BOE's 8G IT OLED production line is designed to produce both hybrid OLED and flexible OLED displays. South Korean industry sources indicate that Wonik IPS's order for PI curing equipment is estimated to be worth tens of billions of KRW.
The supplier selection process, initially expected to conclude by mid to late June 2024, was delayed by approximately one month. South Korean equipment manufacturer Viatron Technologies and Japanese company Koyo were also contenders for this PI curing equipment bid.
PI curing equipment is used to solidify liquid PI varnish when manufacturing PI substrates for flexible OLEDs. BOE is introducing PI curing equipment to the B16 line primarily because the line is designed to produce both hybrid OLED and flexible OLED.
Some analyses believe that BOE's decision to design the B16 line for both hybrid OLED and flexible OLED is due to two main reasons. First, the B16 line is not built for a specific customer. Second, since BOE has not mass-produced hybrid OLEDs on its 6G production lines, the company may have perceived risks in directly implementing hybrid OLED processes in the B16 line.
Moreover, BOE plans for the B16 line to process 32,000 8G glass substrates per month, and they are currently ordering equipment for a capacity of 16,000 substrates per month.
Previously, numerous South Korean equipment manufacturers have received orders from BOE. For instance, ICD was selected as the supplier for dry etching and plasma surface treatment equipment; LG Display was chosen for inkjet printing systems; AP Systems for laser lift-off (LLO) equipment; and Hansong Neotech for fine metal mask (FMM) stretching and inspection equipment.
On the other hand, Samsung Display's 8G IT OLED production line is designed solely for hybrid OLED production. Although this production line is not exclusively for Apple, it does primarily target Apple products such as MacBooks.
