OLEDWorks of Münster, Germany a maker of OLED lighting panels, and BASF’s Coatings division of Aachen, Germany, have partnered to develop bright and bendable OLED panels. The new product range named “Brite 3” enables an improved efficacy compared to other bendable OLEDs. The company says the Brite 3 offers superb color rendering and a high brightness option.
BASF’s coating division produces automotive OEM and refinish coatings, decorative paints, as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic, and glass substrates for a wide variety of industries.
In addition to the new bendable version, OLEDWorks says Brite 3 will make possible completely new applications for luminaire makers and lighting designers. The Brite 3 portfolio comes in a new round shape, and OLEDWorks debuted the bendable version, at the 2018 Light + Building exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany.
The company asserts that the very thin and lightweight OLED lighting technology delivers the best natural light quality for professional and residential lighting, and OLEDs offer unique design options for automotive lighting.
Like other OLED lighting and display makers, the company is looking to bendable panels to make shaped or curved luminaires.
“Our products are globally renowned for their high quality and functionality. We already offer the brightest and most reliable OLED panels in the world – and now we are going one step further and increase our portfolio by adding flexibility thanks to BASF’s unique barrier solutions,” said Wolfgang Görgen, Managing Director at OLEDWorks.
Brite 3 Panels Use Flexible Barrier Solutions from BASF
The new line of bendable OLED lighting panels from OLEDWorks employ the flexible barrier solutions from BASF. According to OLEDWorks, the encapsulation material from BASF protects the panels from degradation via water or oxygen, which are both present in ambient air. Additionally, the company says that the BASF coating material provides a superior optical transparency of more than 90 %.
BASF developed the barrier materials while working closely with OLEDWorks to achieve flexible (bendable) thin-film encapsulation for OLED lighting and display applications. The new OLEDWorks Brite 3 panels use BASF materials as a planarization layer for highly reliable thin-film encapsulation.
“We are delighted to work together with OLEDWorks and provide our expertise and technology to develop an innovative product. Our barrier solutions provide comparable barrier protection as glass. But unlike glass, thin-film encapsulation using BASF barrier materials is flexible, lightweight and break-resistant, offering new possibilities for product design and increased reliability in manufacturing for OLED lighting and display customers,” said Stephan Klotz, head of Functional Films – NOVAGA at BASF’s Coatings division.
