FlexMatters is the portal for information, news and opportunities in the manufacturing of flexible displays, electronics and photovoltaics.

In the next decade a new industry will emerge that will manufacture optical and electronic devices on flexible plastic substrates.  This new industry will produce flexible versions of current devices such as flat panel displays, that are now made on rigid substrates.  It will also make possible entirely new products such as electrically tunable eyewear and electronic fabrics. Ohio's research and industrial strengths in polymers, liquid crystals and advanced materials such as flexible graphite thermal management films make it a natural home for this new industry.  Flexmatters combines the innovative and entrepreneurial talent in our region that will be required to build and sustain this industry. 
Three focused research and commercialization projects, with a total of nearly $50M in state, industrial and academic support have joined the Flexmatters initiative:

Commercialization of Functional Polyimide Films and Nanocomposites:  Led by the University of Akron this project targets the market applications of polyimides. It is an extension of the Center for Multifunctional Polymer Nanomaterials and Devices (CMPND), a 2005 Wright Center of Innovation. Polyimides (PIs) are high performance polymers with a wide range of properties that can be easily adapted to withstand extreme thermal, electrical, and mechanical environments.

Development and Commercialization of Graphite Nanocomposites for the Next Generation of Electronic Devices: Led by Graftech International this project will develop graphite-based nanocomposites for improved thermal and electrical conductivity. The project will strengthen Ohio's presence in the lightweight, high performance electronic device market and make it more cost effective.

Flexible Liquid Crystal Film Manufacturing Alliance: Led by Kent Displays this project will develop specialized flexible liquid crystal displays and liquid crystal eyewear. The grant will support the development of two roll-to-roll processing lines of liquid crystal film, one for flexible displays such as credit cards, wrist watches, and ID tags, and a separate line for eyewear.

Through Flexmatters the partners will work together to build a new manufacturing infrastructure, supporting local companies and attracting new companies to the region.

FlexMatters Partners include: Kent State University, Kent Displays, AlphaMicron, University of Akron, CMPND, NorTech, the Fund for Our Economic Future, GrafTech International, Sheldahl, Center for Photochemical Sciences at Bowling Green State University, Akron Polymer Systems, and the Functional Polymides Center at University of Akron.

by Heather Rainone Ravenna Record Courier January 10, 2007

http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/1461811

Kent State University faculty and students will play a central role in the inauguration of Gov. Ted Strickland, designing and accessorizing outfits for Frances Strickland to wear at the inaugural ceremonies.

Faculty from KSU's School of Fashion Design and Merchandising will dress Ohio's first lady in a suit and an inaugural ball gown. A faculty member and students from the School of Art created a hand-woven shawl that coordinates with the gown.

"Mrs. Strickland chose the designs with the state of Ohio in mind and wanted to keep this project in the state to help designers in Ohio," says Linda Ohrn-McDaniel, co-designer of the suit and inaugural gown, and assistant professor in Kent State's Fashion School.

Ohrn-McDaniel and Sherry Schofield-Tomschin, associate fashion professor, were contacted in December to design the suit and the gown.

"Mrs. Strickland decided that she needed a gown and suit for the inauguration ceremonies and knew that getting something special and unique was important," says Schofield-Tomschin. "Her requests were minimal. She wanted a fairly traditional suit and a gown in a purple shade."

The two designers collaborated on the design, creating and submitting sketches and a half-size prototype for Strickland to choose the styles she most liked.

After meeting with Strickland for her initial fitting, the designers tweaked their original concepts and started work on a cobalt blue, wool satin gabardine suit and a gown in a dusty amethyst silk crepe material.

The gown features Swavorski crystals and liquid crystal-based sequins donated by Kent-based, AlphaMicron Inc., a company specializing in liquid crystal applications that has strong ties with the university's Liquid Crystal Institute.

An especially unique "pattern" of embroidery on the gown, not being revealed until the evening of the inaugural ball, places the amount of design work poured into the piece at an estimated 300 hours.

Funding will be used to commercialize flexible liquid crystal production in Ohio

Kent, Ohio (December 15, 2006) – Kent Displays Incorporated (KDI), the LCD manufacturer of Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Display products leads a project team, that has been awarded an $7.9 M Research and Commercialization Project (RCP) grant by the State of Ohio’s Third Frontier Project. Major collaborators in this project include AlphaMicron and Kent State University. The award was announced by Governor Bob Taft during a press conference held earlier today at Cleveland State University.

The RCP Program was designed by the Ohio Department of Development to support technology based economic development through research and commercialization activities in Ohio.

Kent Displays, a spin off from Kent State University, was created to further develop and commercialize Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Display (ChLCD) technology, taking advantage of their low-power requirement and reflective features to create greatly improved displays for portable devices.

The newly awarded state grant will help Kent Displays and its collaborators accelerate the establishment of a manufacturing cluster in Ohio to commercialize flexible liquid crystal display and eyewear products and devices. The project will achieve the following:

• Installation of manufacturing facilities that will be compatible with commercially available plastic substrates and simple production processes, making Northeast Ohio a global leader in the production of such devices.

• Build a business accelerator at Kent State University to attract supply chain providers including display materials, flexible substrates, and manufacturing equipment.

• Establish an industrial cluster in Northeast Ohio to manufacturer flexible displays and eyewear that will produce jobs, and other economic development opportunities for the region and state.

“We are very pleased to receive this Third Frontier grant. This project is a true collaborative effort and could not have been achieved without the support of our academic and industry collaborators. We look forward to taking our work to the next level and advancing Northeast Ohio as the center for commercialization of flexible liquid crystal products, thus having a major impact on the global display industry,” said Joel Domino, President of Kent Displays.

Collaborators that have provided support and leadership for this RCP include: AlphaMicron, Akron Polymer Systems, Sheldahl, Kent State University, the University of Akron, Ohio Polymer Strategy Council, Team NEO, NorTech and the Fund for Our Economic Future.

“Ohio’s strong industrial base in plastics and printing, and leading research strengths in liquid crystals, polymers and polymer engineering make our region a natural home for this emerging industry,” said Dr. Bahman Taheri, CEO of AlphaMicron.

Momentum on this initiative has been building in the region for the past few months with the establishment of FlexMatters, an initiative focused on building an industrial cluster in Northeast Ohio for the research, development and production of flexible displays, electronics and photo-voltaics. As part of this project, FlexMatters has already begun to attract companies to the region including, Sheldahl, a Minneapolis-based supplier of flexible substrates for liquid crystal products that’s a partner in the RCP initiative. Sheldahl is currently in the process of moving some of its activities to Kent and in order to join this growing flexible display cluster.

For more information, please contact: Joel Domino, President, Kent Displays at 330-673-8784 or jdomino@kentdisplays.com

About Kent Displays: Headquartered in Kent, Ohio, Kent Displays, Inc. is the world leader in “No Power” Cholesteric liquid crystal display technology. Kent Displays’ ChLCD technology is ideal for use in portable products, and applications in which low power consumption and high contrast viewing are important design criteria. Kent has partnered with Kent State University’s Liquid Crystal Institute to advance the capabilities of ChLCD technology. Many signage applications use ChLCD technology because of its unsurpassed sunlight viewability combined with the lowest power consuming electronic display. Kent Displays is spin-off from Kent State University and utilizes technology developed at the Liquid Crystal Institute. Please visit www.kentdisplays.com or www.nopowerdisplays.com  

About AlphaMicron: AlphaMicron, Inc. was formed in response to an SBIR solicitation by the US Air Force for the development of variable transmittance visors for use by pilots in conjunction with helmet mounted displays. Since its inception, AlphaMicron has developed and demonstrated the only liquid crystal product on doubly curved (spheroidal) plastic substrates. AlphaMicron’s Variable Attenuation Liquid Crystal Device (VALiD) gives the user instantaneous control over the tint and/or color of eyewear; either automatically, or at the touch of a finger. The combination of VALiD and plastic substrates has resulted in the first viable liquid crystal device for sun-sport applications. AlphaMicron is actively interested in commercializing its technology for other consumer and military eyewear. www.alphamicron.com  

About FlexMatters: The FlexMatters initiative was established to grow and support a new industry in Ohio for the research, development and manufacture of flexible optical and electronic devices. FlexMatters was funded by a grant from the Fund for Our Economic Future (www.futurefundneo.org), a collaboration among 80 philanthropic organizations from across Northeast Ohio to encourage and advance an agenda for regional economic transformation. The Fund’s grant is providing critical early support to catalyze this initiative and to attract partners and the additional funding required for further development. For more information about FlexMatters, please visit www.flexmatters.org  

CLEVELAND and KENT (September 19, 2006) - John West, Ph.D, Vice President for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies at Kent State University and NorTech Fellow, today announced the new FLEXMatters Initiative to a global audience at the opening of the International Display Research (IRDC) Conference held at the Liquid Crystal Institute (LCI) on the campus of Kent State University. 

FLEXMatters will build a new industrial cluster in Northeast Ohio based on manufacturing emerging products on flexible plastic substrates, including displays, complex electronics and solar cells. The goal of FLEXMatters is to create new industries, companies and jobs in the state of Ohio by leveraging existing technology strengths and assets. Northeast Ohio is poised to establish the early lead in this global race by assuring that the enabling technologies and manufacturers establish in this region.

According to West "The opportunity is based on this region's lead in liquid crystal display research and development complemented by Northeast Ohio's core industrial strengths in polymers and printing. Industrial research centers around the world, including here in Kent, are pursuing the development of these flexible devices; however the manufacturing base has yet to develop.  We're aiming to develop that base here."

The silicon revolution of the 1980s was fostered by the development of the integrated circuits and thin film transistors that are the basis for all consumer electronics, ranging from the cell phones to large flat screen TVs.  The displays and electronics in these devices are currently all produced using batch processing on rigid substrates.  According to FLEXMatters, the future lies in producing these devices on flexible substrates using much more efficient roll-to-roll production techniques.  Northeast Ohio's strong industrial base in plastics and printing, and leading research strengths in liquid crystals, polymers and engineering make it the logical home for this emerging industry.

A number of partners are joining FLEXMatters to support the development of this new cluster.  These include NorTech, Kent State University, the Ohio Polymer Strategy Council, PolymerOhio, the Center for Multifunctional Polymer Nanomaterials and Devices (CMPND), the University of Akron and Team NEO.

Several local start-up companies are taking the lead in manufacturing flexible electronic devices. AlphaMicron was the first in the world to market a flexible liquid crystal lens. Their switchable lenses were incorporated in UVex Ski Goggles and won the Popular Science "Best of What's New" in 2004 award, http://www.alphamicron.com/. Applied Polymer Systems in Akron is providing specialized polymers that are made into flexible films that are applied to the latest flat screen LCD TVs, greatly enhancing their appearance. Kent Displays is currently providing production prototypes of flexible displays using a continuous roll-to-roll process with commercial introduction next year, http://www.kentdisplays.com/.

While flexible liquid crystal displays and related devices will be the first to reach the market, the core manufacturing techniques developed will be the basis of other new industries.  Northeast Ohio is already attracting the attention of companies with complementary skills outside the region to move here in order to be near the emergence of this new industry.

Unlike semiconductors, this region is the natural home for this emerging industry.  "The competition will be fierce, and if we are to capitalize on our early lead we must aggressively seize the opportunity," said Thomas Waltermire, CEO of Team NEO. "To succeed we must market our strengths, effectively address our weaknesses and collaborate across institutions, industries and the region."

"Our vision is that Northeast Ohio will lead the world in flexible device manufacturing and that FLEXMatters will foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit," said Dorothy Baunach, President and CEO of NorTech. "Such a culture will foster the creation of new companies, new technology development in existing companies and more spin-offs from both over time, all resulting in new and good-paying jobs for the region."

The FLEXMatters initiative is funded by a grant from the Fund for Our Economic Future (http://www.futurefundneo.org/), a collaboration among 80 philanthropic organizations from across Northeast Ohio to encourage and advance an agenda for regional economic transformation. The Fund's grant is providing critical early support to catalyze this initiative and to attract partners and the additional funding required for further development.

For more information about FLEXMatters, please visit http://www.flexmatters.org/