According to reports from China, Taiwan-based AU Optronics decided to establish an inkjet OLED production line that will be used to produce OLED monitor displays and OLEDs for automotive applications.
The new OLED line will use production equipment made by Japan's JOLED - who started commercial low-volume production of its own 21.6" 4K OLED panels, at the company's pilot 4.5-Gen line. JOLED also announced plans for a mass production 5.5-Gen line that will be established in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture, by 2020, and similarly to AUO, it is focusing on monitors and automotive applications.
AUO is currently producing AMOLEDs at its relatively low volume AFPD Gen-4.5 LTPS fab in Singapore - with a focus on wearables and VR applications. AUO previously considered to establish a 6-Gen flexible OLED line in Kunshan, China, but it scrapped these plans as the company (correctly!) anticipated an over supply market situation in 2018. In any case, AUO decided to focus on ink-jet printing and not an evaporation-based process as it hopes printing will allow it to produce OLEDs at lower costs.
It is not clear, but it seems that AUO plans to convert one of its existing 4.5-Gen LCD lines (or maybe even its AFPD OLED line) and not build a new production plant from scratch.
