homemade lcd screen factory

Looking to take your project to the next level in terms of functionality and appearance? A custom LCD display might be the thing that gets you there, at least compared to the dot-matrix or seven-segment displays that anyone and their uncle can buy from the usual sources for pennies. But how does one create such a thing, and what are the costs involved? As is so often the case these days, it’s simpler and cheaper than you think, and [Dave Jones] has a great primer on designing and specifying custom LCDs.

We’re amazed at how low the barrier to entry into custom electronics has become, and even if you don’t need a custom LCD, at these prices it’s tempting to order one just because you can. Of course, you can also build your own LCD display completely from scratch too.

If you have ever wondered what it took to make your own custom graphic LCD from scratch, this video from [Applied Science] is worth a watch. It’s concise and to the point, while still telling you what you need to know should you be interested in rolling your own. There is also a related video which goes into much more detail about experimenting with LCD technology.

[Applied Science] used microscope slides and parts purchased online to make an LCD that displays a custom graphic when activated. The only step that home experimenters might have trouble following is coating the glass slides with a clear conductive layer, which in the video is done via a process called sputtering to deposit a thin film. You don’t need to do this yourself, though. Pre-coated glass is readily available online. (Search for Indium-Tin Oxide or ‘ITO’ coated glass.)

The LCD consists of a layer of liquid crystal suspended between two layers of conductive glass. An electrical field is used to change the orientation of crystals in the suspension, which modulate the light passing through them. Polarizing filters result in a sharp contrast and therefore a visible image. To show a particular shape, some of the conductive coating is removed from one of the layers in the shape of the desired image. The process [Applied Science] uses to do this is nearly identical to etching a custom PCB.

Parts of LCD technology can be quite hackable. Neither of these videos are brand-new, either. Have any of you taken on the challenge of DIY LCD displays? We’ve seen experiments with electrochromatic glass using old LCD displays, as well as experiments in playing with polarized light to hide secret messages on LCD screens.

Liquid Crystal Displays or more commonly known as LCDs are one of the most common electronic components which help us interact with an equipment or a device. Most personal portable equipment and even gigantic industrial equipment utilize a custom segment display to display data. For many portable consumer electronics, a segment LCD display is one of the biggest contributors to the overall cost of the device, hence designing a custom segment display can drive the cost down while also utilizing the display area in the most optimum manner. These displays have the lowest cost per piece, low power requirements, and a low tooling fee too.

At first thought, designing a custom segment LCD might look like a Herculean task, but trust me that it is easier than it seems. In this article, we have summarised and compared the display types and available technologies which are required to construct a custom segment LCD. We have also provided a flowchart that can act as a step-by-step guide while you design your own custom LCD. We have also provided the process we followed, a require gathering sheet we used for communicating our needs to the manufacturer, and a few other data and the quotation we received from the manufacturer.

LCD Bias– It denotes the number of different voltage levels used in driving the segments, static drives (explained later in this article) only have 2 voltage levels or 2 bias voltage while multiplex drives have multiple voltage levels. For example, 1/3 will have 4 bias voltages.

LCDs utilizes the light modulating properties of liquid crystals which can be observed by using polarizing filters. Polarizing filters are special materials that have their molecules aligned in the same direction. If the light waves passing through polarisers have the same orientation as the filter, then the molecules of lights are absorbed by the filter, hence reducing the intensity of light passing through it, making it visible.

A custom LCD is important for maximizing the efficiency of the display area by adding custom symbols and characters. It also helps in reducing the cost and improving energy efficiency of the product. A higher number of custom symbols and specified placement of numerical and alphanumerical characters make the display more informative and readable for the user. This makes it look better than the plain old boring displays we get in the market. Furthermore, we can specify the viewing angle, contrast, and other specifications which can increase durability or give a better value for money for our intended usage.  A typical Custom Segment display is shown below, we will also show you how to design and fabricate the same further in the article.

The LCD display doesn’t emit any light of its own, therefore it requires an external source of illumination or reflector to be readable in dark environments.

While designing a custom segment LCD display, we have the leverage of choosing a lot of parameters that affect the final product. From the color of the display to the illumination technique and color of illumination as well as the type of input pins. Some important considerations we need to take while designing a custom 7 segment display are - the type of display, i.e. positive or negative, illumination method, driving technique, polarising type, and connection method. All these design criteria are explained below:

So, which one should you choose? When the displays are to be used in areas with higher ambient light, we should select positive segment LCD display as it has better visibility than negative segment LCD displays without using a backlight.

As we know that LED displays don’t emit any light, hence to illuminate it and make it visible in a dark environment, we can use different methods of illumination. The most common LCD Illumination methods are compared below:

A polarizer film is the most important component of an LCD display, which makes it possible to display characters by controlling the light. There are 3 types of polarizers that can be used in the LCD display, the properties and difference are given below:

If your displays have fewer segments, then static LCD drive is preferred as it is easier to control and cheaper to construct, and has a better contrast ratio. But let’s say that if the number of segments in the display are more than 30-40 then a multiplex LCD drive should be preferred as it has multiple common pins, hence reducing the total number of pins required to drive the display.

Choosing a connector type!!! For the prototyping phase or if you need to connect your LCD display on a Microcontroller directly, a pin type connector is the best and most economical option you have. If you need to connect your LCD display in a final product with a high volume of production which also requires to be extremely durable, but at the same time should not take up a lot of space, a Flex type LCD Connector will work best for you

LCDs have limited viewing angles and when seen from an angle they lose contrast and are difficult to be observed.  The viewing angle is defined by the angles perpendicular to the center of the display towards its right, left, up, and down which are denoted by the notations 3:00, 9:00, 12:00, and 6:00 respectively. The viewing angle of LCD can be defined as the angle w.r.t. to the bias angle at which the contrast of segments is legible.

To improve the viewing angle in an LCD, a Bias is incorporated in the design which shifts the nominal viewing angle with an offset. Another technique is to increase the Voltage, it affects the bias angle, making the display crisper when viewed from a direction.

For example, the viewing angle of a TN type TFT LCD is 45-65 degrees. Extra-wide polarising film (EWP) can increase the viewing angle by 10 degrees, using an O film polariser can make the viewing angles 75 degrees but these come at a cost of reduced contrast.

LCD Control chip or LCD driver chips can be mounted on the flex cable, display, or externally on a PCB. The placement of LCD control chip can affect the cost and size of the display. The 2 most common methods of chip placement are-Chip of Board (COB)and Chip on Glass(COG) which are described below:

We planned to design an air quality monitoring system for which we needed a custom segment LCD panel for an air quality monitoring device. Our product needs to display the following data: 2.5-micron and 10-micron particulate matter (PM) suspended in the air; the units should be in parts per million (PPM). CO2 in the air in PPM along with total volatile organic compounds present in the air in parts per billion (PPB). To make the product more usable, we included time in 24-hour format, Temperature in ºC, Battery status, loudspeaker status, Bluetooth status, and Wi-Fi status. And for some personal touch, we also added how good the air quality in the room is by using 3 different smileys.

We realized that it was impossible to provide all these data in a generic LCD available in the market, thus decided to build a custom LCD for our project.

A step-by-step flowchart is shown below to walk you through each and every step of selecting components and getting your custom segment LCD manufactured.

We mailed our requirements to multiple LCD manufacturers, (you will find a lot of LCD manufacturers on the Internet). Most LCD manufacturers have competitive pricing, and reply within a week. A sample requirement sheet is shown above which a customer needs to fill to specify all the details to the manufacturer.

This is a sample Custom Segment LCD quotation we got from one of the manufacturers. As you can see, the cost is based on the quantity. Higher the quantity, lower the cost. Apart from the cost per quantity, there is one more component called tooling fees. Tooling fee is a one-time fee charged by the manufacturer. It is for the technical design, support, and customization of the product. Customization of PCB or tooling of LCD can drive the tooling price higher or lower.

A custom segment LCD can help you personalize your product while also saving the overall cost of your product. The whole process will take you around 2-3 months, which will include the designing phase, prototyping phase, and getting your custom segment LCDs delivered to your doorstep. Higher ordering quantity will reduce the cost per piece of each unit, thus driving down the cost of your final product.

New Vision Display is a custom LCD display manufacturer serving OEMs across diverse markets. One of the things that sets us apart from other LCD screen manufacturers is the diversity of products and customizations we offer. Our LCD portfolio ranges from low-cost monochrome LCDs to high-resolution, high-brightness color TFT LCDs – and pretty much everything in between. We also have extensive experience integrating LCD screen displays into complete assemblies with touch and cover lens.

Sunlight readable, ultra-low power, bistable (“paper-like”) LCDs. Automotive grade, wide operating/storage temperatures, and wide viewing angles. Low tooling costs.

Among the many advantages of working with NVD as your LCD screen manufacturer is the extensive technical expertise of our engineering team. From concept to product, our sales and technical staff provide expert recommendations and attentive support to ensure the right solution for your project.

As a leading LCD panel manufacturer, NVD manufactures custom LCD display solutions for a variety of end-user applications: Medical devices, industrial equipment, household appliances, consumer electronics, and many others. Our state-of-the-art LCD factories are equipped to build custom LCDs for optimal performance in even the most challenging environments. Whether your product will be used in the great outdoors or a hospital operating room, we can build the right custom LCD solution for your needs. Learn more about the markets we serve below.

Since 1990, AccuView is dedicated to delivering fully customized LCD display solutions for our customers. Our strength lies in understanding and meeting our customers" EXACT requirements coupled with AccuView"s comprehensive manufacturing capabilities and expertise to deliver the right LCD display solution. Let AccuView be your total video solution provider.

Displaytech, a SEACOMP division, is a reliable LCD display manufacturer providing displays for many of today"s products. Founded in 1989, Displaytech offers over 25 years of supplying displays. Since then, our LCD product offerings have expanded dramatically as well as our manufacturing capabilities. Our team is highly-experienced in designing, engineering, and manufacturing electronic products that feature an embedded LCD display. The Displaytech brand was acquired by SEACOMP in 2012.

Displaytech is also an Authorized Microchip Design Partner and Graphics Design Partner Specialist. We offer exceptional hardware and software engineering expertise focused on Microchip PIC24 and PIC32 microcontrollers. All of our development tools are built with Microchip compatibility in mind. Displaytech is capable of providing anything from simple technical support to complex product design for LCD based embedded devices.

Purchase Displaytech products by contacting us directly for large volume orders through this website. We also have online distribution channels through Arrow, Digi-Key, Mouser, and RS Components. In addition, we have global distributors and reps that sell our LCD products.

LCD stands for liquid crystal display. This display technology uses liquid crystals to form images on the screen which are then made visible through ambient light or a light emitting diode (LED) backlight. Liquid crystal displays are currently the most popular display type on the market. If you have a display on your device, there is a high likelihood that it is a liquid crystal display (LCD).

Foxconn Technology Group on Friday said it will build an LCD screen fabrication facility in Mount Pleasant, a move that was put into question after reports earlier this week of the company reconsidering its plans.

The company said the decision came after “productive discussions between the White House and the company, and after a personal conversation between President Donald J. Trump and Chairman Terry Gou.” That Gen 6 plant will fabricate smaller, high-resolution LCD screens than the company had originally planned to make in its Mount Pleasant plant.

Reports from Reuters and Japanese news publication Nikkei Asian Review had called into question whether Foxconn would be fabricating any LCD screens in Wisconsin at all. The company earlier this week committed to building packaging plants, assembly facilities and research centers over the next 18 months in Mount Pleasant. But it fell short of committing to the Gen 6 fabrication plant to make TFT, or “thin-film-transistor” screens.

Foxconn first announced last year it was backing off from plans for a Gen 10.5 facility in Wisconsin to make very large LCD screens. Instead, the Gen 6 plant will produce small to mid-sized displays that would be used in televisions and by automakers.

"Over the last year at least, the capacity for the large LCD screen manufacturing in China has grown exponentially, and the cost has been cut in half," Sheehy said.

The actual fabrication of screens in Wisconsin is significant. The company is building Gen 10.5 plants in China, but such operations don’t exist in the United States. Fabricating the screens, versus assembling products around the finished LCD displays, was expected to attract a new supply chain of manufacturers to Foxconn’s plant.

Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave said the advanced manufacturing piece is important because it brings jobs paying $25 an hour and more. He said Foxconn has kept a direct line of communication with Racine County, and never communicated that screen fabrication was out of the picture.

Enhance your user experience with capacitive or resistive touchscreen technology. We’ll adjust the glass thickness or shape of the touch panel so it’s a perfect fit for your design.

Cable Customization Touchscreen Add-Ons Interface Customization Connector Customization PCB Modifications Cover Glass Additions Mounting Add-Ons Custom Backlight Keypads

Liquid crystal displays are commonly known as LCD, consist of liquid crystals that are activated by electric current, and they are used to display lines of alpha-numeric information (one or more lines) in a variety of devices, for example, fax machines, answering machines call counters, laptop computer screens, scientific instruments, portablecompact disc players,clocks, and so forth. The basis of LCD technology is the liquid crystal, a substance made of complicated molecules.

LCD uses a liquid crystal to produce a visible image. Liquid crystal displays are super-thin technology display screens that are generally used in laptop computer screens, TVs, cell phones, and portable video games.Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have become the dominant technology in televisions and monitors in our homes and offices.

In an LCD, an electric current is used to switch segments of liquid crystals from a transparent phase to a cloudy phase, each segment forming part of a number or letter. The segments can also be in the shape of tiny dots or pixels, and they can be arranged in rows and columns. They are turned on and off individually to either block or allow polarized light to pass through. When the light is blocked, a dark spot is created on the reflecting screen.

Liquid crystal display (LCD) screens are manufactured by assembling a sandwich of two thin sheets of glass.  On one of the sheets are transistor “cells” formed by first depositing a layer of indium tin oxide (ITO), an unusual metal alloy that you can actually see through.  That’s how you can get electrical signals to the middle of a screen.  Then you deposit a layer of silicon, followed by a process that builds millions of precisely shaped transistor parts.  This patterning step is repeated to build up tiny little cells, one for each dot (known as a pixel) on the screen.  Each step has to be precisely aligned to the previous one within a few microns. Remember, the average human hair is 40 microns in diameter.

Generally, a brush is used toscrubat the same time to enhance the stripping effect. Then use DI water to clean and dry the glue crumbs. Generally, the above processes are calledlithography processes, which play a key role in LCD manufacturing.

Generally, the orientation materials for the production of low- and medium-grade LCDs are made of PA, that is, polyimide acid, which is made by the polymerization reaction of dianhydride and diamine at low temperature. It is dehydrated and cured at high temperature (the upper chemical layer is a kind of ring Chemical reaction), it becomes polyimide (PI). Polyimide has good chemical stability, excellent mechanical properties, high insulation, high-temperature resistance, high dielectric constant, radiation resistance, and non-flammability.

Screen printing is used for seal printing and thick layer printing. Flexo-Printing is used for polyimide layer printing and printing of thin layers with high precision.

Screen printing is a technology, where the print material is pressed by a squeegee through a mesh that is fixed on a frame. The mesh carries a photoresist layer with openings defining the pattern to be printed.

Flexo printing is offered in order to form polyimide layers in glass plates for LCD manufacturing. We can integrate these machines in an in-line production street or in a polyimide cluster, consisting of a polyimide printing machine, a coupled hot plate curing system and related automation incl. loading and unloading devices.

Punctuation silkscreen is used to connect the circuits of the LCD because there are 2 glasses of the LCD. up one and down. Only the pin side glass has an electricity connection, that dots are for supplying electricity for the glass which doesn’t have electricity. that dots are for supplying electricity for the glass which doesn’t have electricity.

The system of roller lamination is that after an inclined stage which sucks and holds the film, then touches the roller at the film tip portion, and laminates the film to the cover glass by roller pressure and the movement of the lamination stage. The screen lamination system is a method of entirely sucking and holding the film in an adsorption mesh sheet and laminating it by a roller pressure through a mesh.

Usually, a pair of ITO glasses can make multiple liquid crystal cells. In order to expose the LCD filling port, the glass must be appropriately cut into strips or granules.

This stage includes filling the liquid crystal into the prepared empty cell and sealing the filling hole so that the liquid crystal cell is basically made. Generally, a special liquid crystal filling machine is used to form a vacuum in the liquid crystal cell, and then the liquid crystal is filled into the LCD cell by the pressure difference and the capillary action of the liquid crystal cell.

Use a sealing material (such as a sealing resin) to block the opening of the filled liquid crystal box. Wipe clean the liquid crystal on the sealing surface of the filled LC liquid crystal box, apply a certain amount of UV sealing glue, and then irradiate it with ultraviolet rays to cause the glue itself to chemically react and interact.Coupling and polymerizationto form a firm seal to prevent the liquid crystal in the screen from leaking to the outside, and also prevent external contaminants from intruding into the liquid crystal in the screen.

Detection Visuallyinspects the appearance and background color of semi-finished LCD products under the polarized light table and picks out the unqualified products.

The electrical testis to check the display graphics, electrical and functional defects, and other appearance defects of the LCD screen under the power-on state.

This is the most important point in LCD manufacturing, where silkscreens are used for printing. High-resolution silkscreens have more than 130 meshes per cm, enabling them to print lines with a width down to 50µm. The layer thickness is in the range of 10µm normally, which is regarded as a “thick” layer in LCD manufacturing.

Foxconn, which received controversial state and local incentives for the project, initially planned to manufacture advanced large screen displays for TVs and other consumer and professional products at the facility, which is under construction. It later said it would build smaller LCD screens instead.

Now, those plans may be scaled back or even shelved, Louis Woo, special assistant to Foxconn Chief Executive Terry Gou, told Reuters. He said the company was still evaluating options for Wisconsin, but cited the steep cost of making advanced TV screens in the United States, where labor expenses are comparatively high.

When it comes to manufacturing advanced screens for TVs, he added: “If a certain size of display has more supply, whether from China or Japan or Taiwan, we have to change, too.”

Rather than a focus on LCD manufacturing, Foxconn wants to create a “technology hub” in Wisconsin that would largely consist of research facilities along with packaging and assembly operations, Woo said. It would also produce specialized tech products for industrial, healthcare, and professional applications, he added.

Rather than manufacturing LCD panels in the United States, Woo said it would be more profitable to make them in greater China and Japan, ship them to Mexico for final assembly, and import the finished product to the United States.