Sharp Corp has announced plans to sharply increase output of plastic substrate liquid crystal displays. Output of the light, shock-resistant LCDs which are used in cellphones will be boosted by 250% to 3.5 million units a month by April, a company statement said. It said that robust demand from telecommunications equipment makers abroad and in Japan may force Sharp to expand output to 5 million a month by the end of next year.
Sharp will raise production of monochrome supertwisted nematic (STN)-type plastic liquid crystal displays. STN LCDs have a simple design and can be produced at relatively low cost. Plastic LCD screens are approximately half as thick as glass products and only weigh a third as much while being 10 times more shock resistant.
Sharp began producing plastic LCDs in the second half of last year and has been making about 1 million a month. The increased output it expected to bring in revenues of 10bn yen ($95m) in the current financial year ending next March 31.
