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Flat Panel Display

 

flat planel display

New Way Air Bearings are ideal for use to meet the demands of the Flat Panel Display (FPD) industry including:

  • Processing
  • Conveying
  • Inspection

New Way offers several air bearing products to float the glass ensuring there is no contact. The stiff and even distribution of the air provided through our Porous Media Technology™ is critical to the stability of the glass as it moves through production. This discriminating design feature enables non-contact motion with nano-level precision at high speeds. Even in the event of a loss of air supply, the soft bearing face slowly diffuses the air, minimizing concerns of glass scratching and damage.

Select New Way products also come with vacuum control providing additional vertical height control of the glass to within ±5 microns, eliminating vibration for the stringent control necessary for dynamic processing and inspection without the need to stabilize the glass on a vacuum chuck.

New Way air bearings are inherently suited for FPD cleanroom environments. Testing indicates New Way products also easily achieve ISO Class 3 cleanliness, with airborne particulate concentrate limits of less than 1,000 x 0.1μm particles / m3. The case can also be made for their use in cleanrooms as stringent as Class 1 as the porous media acts as a sub-micron filter for particulates, eliminating concerns of contamination and outgassing concerns.

FPD manufacturers using New Way air bearings experience increased production, without sacrificing precision and quality.

Applications for Computed Tomography Imaging

Conveying
Air Bars provide a non-contact method to conveying wafers suitable for use in a cleanroom environment. New Way has several different types of Air Bars with varying levels of control.

Our most basic model uses positive air pressure to float the glass for non-contact conveyance. Each series beyond adds a groove(s) of vacuum holes for additional stability. The highest levels of control come in our Precision Zone Air Bars whose distribution of vacuum holes ensures the vacuum pressure and air gaps are the same across the entire bar, making them ideal for wafer probing and inspection.

As glass becomes more thin, flexible and robust, New Way Air Turns deliver a non-contact method to float glass around a bend. Air Turns can accommodate a wide range of materials by adjusting the air pressure to control fly height and tension based on the material thickness.

Linear Motion
New Way flat round bearings can be used to create a frame for the glass to sit in, allowing non-contact manipulation of the glass in all directions. New Way Air Bushings or Linear Motion Guide Systems can be utilized to hold the grippers responsible for pinching the edge of the glass while it moves in a linear fashion.

Benefits of Air Bearings

Air bearings offer a host of benefits ideal for the production of flat panel displays:

  • No Contact
  • High Stiffness
  • High Precision Fly Height
  • Zero Wear
  • Clean Room Compliant
  • Zero Vibration
  • High Speed
  • Straighter Motion
   

Any Questions?

Contact us today if you have questions on using our porous media air bearings in your flat panel display manufacturing. Tell us more about your application today and receive a complimentary consultation!


Applications
Linear Motion Bearings
precision machine tool
Linear Motion Bearings

For unparalleled straightness of motion over metal or stone guideways.

Conveying
flat panel display
Conveying

For the non contact transportation of glass and FPD’s.


Products
Air Bars
air bars
Air Bars

Air Turns™
Air turns
Air Turns™

Air Bushings
bushings
Air Bushings

Linear Motion Guide System
Linear Motion Guide System

Flat Round Air Bearings
round bearings
Flat Round Air Bearings

Learn More About the Porous Media Difference