The prospects for the transformation of OLED lighting are still elusive, but this does not prevent developers from pursuing novel applications because a small Canadian company has announced a flexible OLED material that can illuminate prints in newspapers and magazines.
OTI Lumionics stated that its "Aerelight for Print" technology utilizes a new manufacturing process and new materials developed by the Toronto manufacturing company.
Regarding the composition of this manufacturing innovation and materials, the company did not disclose any details.
In the live demonstration, only Aerelight was part of the magazine's latest annual cover. OTI Lumionics, Frontier, and Toronto Print Production, a company called Flash Reproductions, have teamed up to embed a flexible OLED panel in a small rectangle that will illuminate when touched.
This is another example of how flexible OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) can extend the lighting range beyond traditional form factors. In another example, Germany's Fraunhofer FEP demonstrated a flexible OLED wristband and stated that it could be used for medical purposes.
Unlike LEDs that have only a single spot, OLEDs are multi-sheet materials that emit light in response to current, including a variety of flexible and rigid materials. Although they have made great progress in areas such as automobiles, televisions and smart phone screens, they have not completely changed the lighting field that some people have predicted for years.
OLED enthusiasts say that soft materials will enable designers to create artificial light sources directly into clothes, furniture, walls, bridges and many other necessities such as prints. However, due to shortcomings such as manufacturing costs and energy efficiency lag, the development of OLEDs has been hindered. At the same time, LED developers are still looking for ways to embed LEDs in various materials to achieve the same purpose as OLEDs.
