What is Seamless Black Glass?
The ink area and the AA area of most LCD displays are usually different colors. When the display is in the rest state, there is an obvious color difference between the AA and the edge ink area, resulting in poor visual effects.
With the improvement of consumer aesthetics, people’s pursuit of beauty is becoming increasingly high, therefore, there is a technology that can make the color difference between the display and the edge ink area difficult to distinguish with the naked eye when the screen is turned off.
It makes the display look integrated with the environment and improves the aesthetics of the display. This is the “seamless black” technology.
How to Realize the Seamless Black Glass?
“Seamless black” can create seamless visual appearance, making the appearance of the product more high-end, atmospheric, beautiful, technological, and create product differentiation, thereby enhancing consumer purchasing desire.
How to achieve the “seamless black” effect? The main technology currently include below:
Printing is the most common method. That is, the border is printed in black, and the AA area is printed in semi-transparent black.
There is to be noted:
- The choice of semi-transparent black ink should be in the same color or close as the border. If too black or too light, that will cause color differences.
- Control of transmittance: According to the brightness and usage environment of LED lights, the transmittance ranges from 1% to 50%. Currently, most commonly used are 15 ± 5% and 20 ± 5%.
Electroplate
Electroplating uses magnetron sputtering and optical principles to coat a layer of inorganic film on the glass surface, adjusting the transmittance and color of the film layer in the AA area to make it consistent with the color of the silk screen frame, achieving the black seamless effect. The transmittance can reach 80% and the reflectivity is less than 2%.
However, due to limited equipment, only small sizes can be made, and the cost is relatively high. Apple watch uses electroplating exactly.
Gray Glass
Gray glass is a type of transparent colorless glass material that introduces inorganic metal oxide colorants, transforming the previously colorless and transparent glass into a dark gray low transmittance glass, the transmittance is 18% to 38%. By adjusting the color of the border, that can achieve a seamless black effect.
The biggest advantage of using gray glass to achieve integrated black is that the raw material size of gray glass is 1600x1030mm, so it can process large sizes. Currently, Gorilla can process up to 32 inches of seamless black glass.
Advantages and Drawback of Seamless Black
Advantages
Appearance Design
The seamless black display cover glass can integrate the display and terminal, increasing the design of aesthetics and space. It is suitable for high-end consumer products that pursue exquisite product design.
At the same time, black is often considered a fashionable and classic color, thus attracting the attention of consumers in design.
Reduce Reflection
Black surfaces reflect less light, which can reduce interference from external ambient light and improve the visibility of the display under different lighting conditions.
Drawback
Power Saving Performance
Since the black glass cover absorbs more light, the display backlight needs to provide more brightness to make up for the loss of light, which may increase the energy consumption of the display.
Fading and Aging
After long-term use, the black glass cover may fade or age due to ultraviolet rays, affecting the visual effect and appearance of the display.
Higher Cost
The materials and specific production processes used in the manufacturing of seamless black glass will increase costs.
Application
High-end Electronic Product
The seamless black display cover glass is often used in high-end smartphones, tablets, TVs and other electronic products to enhance the appearance and quality of the product.
Professional Display Equipment
In some professional fields that require high contrast and accurate display, such as design, graphics processing, etc. The all-black design can provide more accurate color performance and image display.
Entertainment Device
In entertainment equipment, such as game monitors, home theater systems, etc., the seamless black design can create a better visual environment and enhance the entertainment experience.
Automobile Display
The seamless black display design is also commonly used in the auto infotainment systems, it provides a more attractive interface design and reduces reflections and glare while driving.
Summary
The advantages and applications of seamless black glass may vary depending on product type, market demand, and consumer preferences. When choosing the design, it should be made based on comprehensive considerations based on the positioning and target market of the specific product.
Contact Tailorpixles and we can provide a solution based on your terminal design.
There is other knowledge about the touch panel of LCD you may have interest:
What is the Air Bonding and Optical Bonding? How to choose between Air Bonding and Optical Bonding?
