Originally Published by Manufacturing Technology Insights
A concert, an attractive billboard, New York City’s nightlife, and a sophisticated piece of automobile engineering; all of these disparate elements have one aspect in common – Incredible lighting. And, for very good reasoning as well.
The eye-pleasing aesthetics and atmospheres that modern-day lighting technologies help create are highly sought after across numerous use cases. And with the many options that exist today, businesses and individuals invest a tremendous amount of time and money in setting up their offices, products, and homes with customizations that best fit their purposes. Thus, the demand for newer, more efficient lighting solutions has motivated a world of innovation bringing forth a new generation of visual entertainment. One company in particular, called OLEDWorks, is currently captivating the market with its impressive portfolio of intuitively designed lighting solutions that also have unique applications in aerospace and automotive verticals.
As its name suggests, OLEDWorks is an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) manufacturer and solutions provider founded by a team of former Kodak experts in 2010, who then acquired Philips’ OLED division five years later.
Brite 3 OLED lighting panel by OLEDWorks
“We have facilities in the U.S. and Germany, producing OLED lighting devices for transportation and non-transportation applications in these locations,” expresses David DeJoy, CEO of OLEDWorks.
The company’s businesses focus primarily on developing premium OLED lighting solutions all the while excelling at producing microdisplays—small near-eye displays used in virtual and augmented reality technologies. And as the world’s leading authority on OLED lighting, OLEDWorks also provides clients with the most powerful panels that boast superior longevity and reliability.
OLED microdisplay technology by OLEDWorks
“We take a lot of pride in our products. They result from the combination of our technological development with multi-stack OLEDs and world-class manufacturing capabilities,” adds Dr. Michael Boroson, CTO of OLEDWorks. The company’s solid-state lighting technology emits pure, natural, and authentic light using organic materials that are coated on both rigid and flexible glass. “I like to explain our devices to people by comparing their appearance to solar panels, except that they do not absorb light and generate current; it is the exact opposite,” humors Boroson.
OLEDWorks’ products are internationally circulated, ISO 9001 certified, and will soon be acquiring an IATF 16949 compliance, enabling the company to better deliver lighting solutions for players in the automotive and other transportation industries.
Contributing to various developments in the aerospace arena, OLEDWorks’ super lightweight and energy-efficient OLED light panels substantially benefit the structural integrity of airplanes. Due to the individually addressable segments in their panels they have the ability to selectively address certain areas of the panel with high contrast which can be programmed to accurately display symbols such as arrows, notifications, and other necessary signage to help improve communication between the crew and passengers on board. Each of the products has been subjected to thousands of hours of accelerated testing at high temperatures and varying humidity, pushing the limits of OLED technology.
Segmented OLED lighting panel
further elucidate on the lighting capabilities of OLEDWorks, DeJoy shares an anecdote about an automotive customer who was interested in implementing OLED light engines for their vehicles’ rear combination lights. “They were struggling with the performance of the lighting devices obtained through previous suppliers,” he recalls. After reaching out to OLEDWorks, the customer was presented with a demonstration of how reliable, cost-effective, and high-functioning OLED technology can be. DeJoy and his team provided the automotive company with highly reliable, customizable, and affordable solutions that performed much more effectively than expected. OLEDWorks’ subject matter expertise also empowered the client with segmentation benefits as well, allowing drivers to display their own creative lighting.
With such intuitive products and vast experience in lighting technology, OLEDWorks stands a cut above the rest in the market today. Moving forward, the company expects to witness many applications of its devices in the transportation space within the next two years. The lighting experts intend to roll out a fourth-generation product for general lighting alongside an announcement of their existing portfolio’s significantly improved energy efficiencies.
