Signage, car stickers emerging applications
Recent releases for posters, car stickers, T-shirts and even bicycle backpacks are broadening the user base amid strong demand.
China suppliers of EL displays are expanding their selections to match not just growing demand but also diverse user requirements. Lineups now constitute posters, car stickers, bottle labels, T-shirts, sound-activated devices, and backlights for mobile phone keypads and signboards.
The first is fast becoming a major category, especially for large and medium models. Advertisement panels and billboards can combine vivid EL lights, fl ash and animated effects. These products can be designed to emit light in desired areas, and animation is possible with the use of special inverters. They are suitable for both indoor and outdoor establishments, including bars, hotels, airports, and bus and subway stations. A display area of 0.1sqm could be seen from more than 200m away at night.
Car stickers are gaining a following as well. Besides serving as vehicle embellishment, they double as warning lights during night use. Likewise, EL displays on bicycle bags or backpacks that can be set to fl ash or illuminate continuously provide additional safety to both the riders and pedestrians.
A growing number of makers believe the technology will soon replace its fluorescent counterpart. Besides a longer life span and greater brightness, the former produces cold light, thereby consuming less energy and giving off little or no heat. It does not create glare or night vision effect and is not bulky as incandescent systems.
High-brightness EL displays can reach 200cd/sqm, but most are in the 80 to 150cd/sqm range. In terms of durability, some can exceed 25,000hr under normal circumstances.
On top of product advantages, suppliers are optimistic stabilizing world economies and the trend for environment protection will fuel momentum in this sector.
Besides diversifying their lineups, a large number of makers are expanding factories and manpower, upgrading processes and improving management systems.
Product development is directed toward refining EL techniques, especially those for OLED, which uses film made of organic compounds as the emissive EL layer. Sichuan Changhong and Sichuan CCO have made headway in this line. Revenue from OLED displays is forecast to hit a 40 percent CAGR by 2015, according to DisplaySearch.
China has more than 100 suppliers. Nearly 80 percent of them are based in Guangdong province, specifically in Shenzhen. The rest can be found in Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Hebei, Fujian and Zhejiang. Among the top industry players are Shanghai Yongning and Shanghai Liankai Optoelectronic Technology Co. Ltd.
Most enterprises concentrate on OEM projects and cater to the lowend and midrange markets. They offer customization services on size and shape to match clients’ specifications. Boosting exports
Makers anticipate overseas sales this year will grow by 20 to 30 percent from 2009. The double-digit increase is seen to persist next year. More than half of current output is exported, mainly to the EU, the US, Australia and the Middle East. Shipments to the first two are forecast to increase primarily because of growing concerns about the environment. Most products carry CE and RoHS certification. Faced with the challenge of new competition from manufacturers in South and Southeast Asia such as India and Vietnam, suppliers plan to expand applications to broaden reach. Many are confident that with more experience and by providing good aftersales services, they can maintain and consolidate their status in the world as the top hub for EL technologies.
Products & applications
EL displays from China can be classified according to use. As a backlight source, they are suitable for LCD-based consumer devices because they deliver thin, soft and even light with low power consumption. Applications include automobile instrument panels, pagers, mobile phones, calculators, electronic scales, translators and membrane switches.
As an advertising signage, the main advantages of EL displays are durability and flexibility. They allow a programmable sequence of lighting modes. Such characteristics enable an animated visual effect in a variety of products from roads and railways toentertainment venues. A number of sheets joined together make up large advertising panels. Some indoor units can be as big as 5sqm. These are suitable for promotion sites where usage is limited to only a period of several months. The price is 10 percent less than those of LED posters of the same size. Smaller posters are preferred for company logos and banners. These can be framed using aluminum or acrylic, and made to fit different types of plugs.
Shenzhen CNS Technology Co. Ltd has ultrathin light boxes that save on installation time and maintenance compared with conventional, bulky types. One of the country’s pioneers in this line, the enterprise manufactures posters as small as 30x30cm to as large as 1.2×1.2m with a thickness of less than 1mm. The current capacity is 20,000sqm per month. Its CNSELAD9021 model has nine fl ashes and a lighting area of up to 40 percent. The 30x30cm advertising panel is only 0.3mm thick and has six language options.
EL displays, which boast low voltage and shock resistance, are also used in children’s toys, gifts and premiums. The lineup comprises animated badges, photo frames, night lights, greeting cards, and flashing T-shirts, jackets and hats. Other makers leverage the product’s luminescence and adopt it for safety systems such as emergency exit, warning and road signage, and eyecatching company logos. Besides being a vehicle decor, EL car stickers, including those utilized for brake lights, function as a safety aid for drivers. These are water-resistant and designed to withstand different temperatures.
Some are even solar-powered. Versions that can be attached to backpacks are suitable for biking, hiking and other outdoor sports. Sunny Gift & Promotion Co.’s EL Seat Bag model features bright-red safety lighting that can be set to either intermittent fl ash or continuous illumination. The product emits a cool, gentle light. Shanghai Liankai has a safety jacket with EL sheets that can light up for 28hr after charging for 4 to 5hr. It delivers uniform brightness and has vibration and moisture resistance.
Further, sound-activated EL lights are used on T-shirts, mobile phone shells and other promotional materials. Shenzhen CNS offers such variants for bars and clubs.
Materials & price trends
EL products often differ in terms of materials used, which determine pricing. For high-quality units, companies usually import from international key providers 3M, Osram and Reflexite. For cost considerations, a few source from domestic partners for their low-end variants. Several adopt locally made ITO film.
Suppliers usually charge $0.014 per square centimeter of lighted area and $0.0037 per square centimeter of unlighted area. One adapter lists at $1.77.
Among the key components used are the phosphorescent inputs that emit light when an electric current passes through them. Flashing and barium powder, raw phosphor, silver epoxy, ITO and insulating oil combined account for the bulk of manufacturing outlay. The cost of flashing powder and silver rose by more than 10 percent and 25 percent, respectively, in recent months. To remain competitive, makers plan to keep quotes stable barring significant increases in material spending in the next 12 months.