Canatu will be launching its new Generation 5 product family of CNB™ transparent conductive films for touch sensors, paving the way for high-contrast touch displays and revolutionary printed, flexible, foldable and 3D-shaped touch-enabled electronics products.
Canatu's high-quality CNB™ films serve touch module and display companies in the rapidly-expanding markets of mobile phones, tablets, cameras, wearable consumer devices, white goods, home appliances and automotive.
Due to record-breaking stretchability and flexibility down to 1 mm bending radius, CNB™ films give consumer electronics companies long-awaited design freedom. With ultra-low reflections and virtually zero haze, the film improves contrast of flat and flexible touch displays and enhances outdoor readability. High contrast further enables the use of lower backlight power to increase battery life by up to 20%. Canatu's Generation 5 CNB™ films have the highest transmission of any carbon nanomaterials, with 96% transmission at 150 ohms/square sheet resistivity, and almost perfect color neutrality. Therefore, CNB™ films result in touch displays with crisp images, vivid colors and non-visible touch sensor patterns. Canatu recommends laser ablation for fine patterning and silver traces, enabling fast turnaround in product development and reducing design and investment costs. CNB™ films are green carbon technology, not using toxic wet chemistry, and pass all consumer electronics environmental tests.
CNB™ film is based on Carbon NanoBud® material and on Direct Dry Printing® (DDP), Canatu's patented method for manufacturing transparent conductive CNB™ films directly from carbon gases. CNB™ films are produced on substrates in sheet or roll-to-roll form in one single process step.
"With the launch of our Generation 5 CNB™ films we are now entering the touch market. Electronics hardware companies and brand names are seeking ways to differentiate products, reduce production costs and increase product performance. Existing materials such as silicon, metals and metal oxides are expensive, not flexible, stretchable or transparent, and require complex and bulky support structures. Moreover, these traditional technologies are reaching their performance limits," says Risto Vuohelainen, CEO of Canatu.
Erkki Soininen, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Canatu, says: "We have now ramped up production in Helsinki, Finland, and are taking orders for CNB™ films and sensors for high-quality, flexible, 3D-shaped and flat projected capacitive touch applications. We also have numerous customer projects underway, and our technology is being evaluated by over 40 companies worldwide. Our high-volume CNB™ film manufacturing plant is planned to open in 2014."