Hasta La Gadget!

If you follow the technology world and TV technology specifically, you might remember years ago when the first large-scale OLED panels were unveiled at last year’s CES. While the displays can be incredibly thin, lightweight and bright, they’re also extremely expensive at this point.

Panasonic is working on a new method of producing OLED panels using a printing technique that is said to be more economical than traditional display construction methods. In fact, the company is showing off a 56-inch 4K2K OLED panel at CES 2013 that was constructed using this method.

According to Panasonic, its “all-printing” processes is capable of producing OLED screens of up to 56-inches, and will allow the construction of smaller displays as well. In the all-printing method, OLED materials are applied to a substrate using a printing technique that forms an electroluminescent layer. The printing method applies just the right amount of organic material exactly where it is needed making for less waste and a shorter production lead times.

That means that Panasonic’s method is able to make OLED panels more quickly and more cheaply than comparable methods. This printing process allows for separate application of red, green, and blue OLED materials. Panasonic says that this construction method will allow it to create next-generation displays for use in the home, medical field, broadcasting, and aircraft applications. There’s no indication of exactly how much cheaper panels produce using this method might be. It would be nice if this production method could help create an affordable OLED TV. The cost of producing the screens is one reason why modestly sized OLED TVs currently cost $10,000 or more.