How did Samsung manage to bend the cover glass of its foldable phone? A ton of Japanese suppliers
What's the most interesting question about Samsung's upcoming foldable F-series? Is it the price of the first phone in the line? The specs? Nah, it's how did Samsung manage to bend the cover glass without breaking it. like what you see in the LetsGoDigital concept image of the phone above!
The first of its kind supply chain analysis of the foldable device has appeared in Korean media, and it gives us the scoop. Samsung has collaborated with the Japenese from Sumitomo Chemical for producing a "luxurious" to the touch transparent polyimide that can be bent numerous times without any visible differences.
It will be attached to the flexible OLED panel underneath with an extremely durable and flexible adhesive that Samsung has been developing for years, and which will allow the package to bend at the middle by stretching a bit but not coming unglued. Called optical transparent adhesive film (OCA), this special type of elasticized adhesive can be bent thousands of times and retain its original size and form.
Another Japanese supplier, Nichido Denko, is said to produce the polarizer film for the bendy display, while the organic diodes themselves are of the type used in the current Galaxy S9 or Note 9 models.
That sounds like a lot of Japanese technology going into the Infinity Flex display, but at least the stretchy hinge will be sourced locally, from KH Vatec, and we can't wait to fold and unfurl the phone just for kicks.
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