[Report] "Urgent Need for Domestic Production of OLED Core Components"... Mass Production of 500ppi FMM

Bolt Creation, Successful In-House Development
'V-Glass' Wins CES 2024 Innovation Award

On the 30th of last month, we visited the Bolt Creation factory in Osan, Gyeonggi Province. CEO Choi Sang-jun of Bolt Creation said, "You can touch it," as he took out a sample of a 600ppi fine metal mask (FMM) for mobile devices. FMM is an essential component for high-resolution displays. It is a mask used to form red (R), green (G), and blue (B) subpixels in small- and medium-sized organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels, and is a key material in the OLED deposition process.

Choi Sang-jun, CEO of Bolt Creation, is explaining the 600ppi fine metal mask at the Osan factory in Gyeonggi Province on the 30th of last month.
[Photo provided by the Korea Venture Business Association]

When touching the phone-sized FMM, it felt smooth and similar to film. However, under a microscope magnified 400 times, small holes were densely connected. CEO Choi explained, "600ppi means there are 600 holes within one inch (2.54 cm)."

Founded in 2015, Bolt Creation is a materials, components, and equipment company that developed the ‘ion beam dry etching technology’ capable of fine processing. The independently researched ion beam dry etching technology has the advantage of etching without damaging the material compared to wet or electroplating processes. Additionally, it can be custom-made to meet the diversity of etching angles and shapes according to the specifications desired by customers.

In August, Bolt Creation completed the first phase of mass production equipment for 500ppi FMM. CEO Choi emphasized, "South Korea is the world leader in OLED, but all core components like FMM are imported from Japan," adding, "If we do not localize the core of OLED, a situation similar to the LCD industry moving to China could occur, so localization is urgent."

He continued, "Bolt Creation is the first in Korea to succeed in mass-producing high-resolution FMM," and added, "Because we also manufacture the process equipment ourselves, our products are competitively priced compared to Japanese products." Bolt Creation sells 500ppi FMM to companies and research institutions.

After explaining FMM, CEO Choi demonstrated ‘V-Glass.’ V-Glass is a lens cover that disperses water droplets to maintain visibility even on rainy days. The difference between areas with and without V-Glass was clearly visible when water was sprayed on the camera. The area without V-Glass became foggy as water droplets accumulated, making it difficult to see objects, whereas the area with V-Glass dispersed the droplets, maintaining clear visibility. It can be applied to car cameras, closed-circuit television (CCTV), side mirrors, and more. Recognized for this technology, V-Glass won the CES 2024 Innovation Award.

A 600ppi FMM sample for mobile developed by Bolt Creation.

In addition, Bolt Creation developed electromagnetic wave shielding products that block external interfering signals. These have already been installed in Korean fighter jets. The company is also producing an eco-friendly ‘polymer air filter’ that can replace nonwoven fabric filters. Notably, it can protect HEPA filters in air purifiers, extending their lifespan. It was recognized as an ‘innovative new product’ by the Public Procurement Service in December last year.

Bolt Creation is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) next year. CEO Choi said, "We are preparing for a technology-specialized listing," and added, "We are targeting sales of about 5 to 6 billion won in the first half of next year and are working hard to show even better performance."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.