Cheaper and Greener OLEDs: TCL’s New Printing Tech

Ever wished for brighter, cheaper, and less power-hungry OLED monitors? TCL, a well-known tech company, is making that wish a reality with its new inkjet-printed OLED technology. This method reduces waste, cuts costs, and more efficiently produces OLED displays. At a recent conference, Ming-Jong Jou, the Chief of TCL’s Technology Planning Center, discussed how CSOT, TCL’s manufacturing arm, is using large, precise inkjet printers to create these displays. Unlike traditional methods that use evaporation processes, this technique significantly reduces waste. TCL’s printed RGB OLED technology has several advantages. It reduces light loss by 50%, improves light output efficiency by 1. 5 times, and extends the lifespan of the displays. Amazingly, all this is achieved while lowering manufacturing costs by 20% and shortening the development cycle by 30%. In 2023, TCL showcased a 65-inch 8K OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 1800R curve, all made using this inkjet printing tech. This method increases the use of luminescent materials by 90% and cuts blue light radiation by 50%. TCL has also demonstrated other innovative products like a 31-inch 4K dome-shaped OLED and a 14-inch 2. 8K laptop OLED. Plans are underway to start small-scale production of inkjet-printed OLED panels by the end of this year, beginning with a 21. 6-inch 4K OLED panel aimed at medical monitors. By 2025, TCL aims to expand production to medium-sized OLED panels for IT devices like laptops and monitors.