Cambrios Announces Expansion of Joint Venture with TPK, NISSHA to Bring ClearOhm Film to Market

Cambrios Technologies announced the expansion of its existing joint venture with TPK, the world’s largest touch solution provider, to also include NISSHA, a leader in film-based touch sensors, to develop and manufacture ClearOhm film for today’s advanced touchscreens.

This collaborative venture, TPK Film Solutions, Ltd. (TPKF), will produce ClearOhm silver nanowire-based film in a roll-to-roll process allowing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to bring to market cutting-edge touchscreens for new products and applications worldwide.

“Our joint venture with TPK and NISSHA expands Cambrios’ global reach by delivering ClearOhm silver nanowire based touchscreens with the market’s leading players,” said John LeMoncheck, president and CEO at Cambrios Technologies. “Together we will provide OEMs increased access to ClearOhm films for implementation in their next-generation electronic devices.”

“NISSHA’s participation in the joint venture, combined with Cambrios’ advanced technology and TPK’s leadership in the touchscreen market, will provide new technological value for customers in the touchscreen industry. This will help us further our reach globally and deliver advanced solutions to the market,” said Junya Suzuki, president and CEO of NISSHA.

“TPK has a long-standing heritage of delivering high performance touchscreens for the global market and always is seeking technologies to better serve our end-users,” said Michael Chiang, chairman of TPK. “Cambrios, in partnership with NISSHA, was a natural fit to support our needs. Silver nanowires are a major part of our strategy to address the mid- and low-end segments of the mobile devices market. We will deliver high-volume manufacturing capacity for ClearOhm films for incorporation into leading consumer electronic devices including mobile phones, tablets and large-area touchscreen applications.”

Featuring single crystals of silver nanowires, ClearOhm material enables rapid time-to-market and competitive price points for OEMs and their respective consumer electronic devices.

This venture brings more than 90 years of combined expertise around silver nanowires (AgNW), roll-to-roll coating and mass production of touchscreen products and applications. Cambrios successfully has launched its silver nanowire products into consumer and industrial applications including All-In-One computers, computer monitors, tablets, smartphones, industrial kiosks, etc. with some of the best known brands worldwide.

With this announcement, Cambrios continues to strengthen its global reach through an established state-of-the-art, reliable supply chain for touch sensor and display manufacturers.

The expanded joint venture agreement formally was signed on Oct. 3, 2013; mass production is expected in Q2 2014.