韩媒The Elec称京东方成都B16 8.6代OLED线玻璃基板破裂约半年未解，或影响苹果iPad面板验证

China’s BOE has been unable to resolve glass substrate cracking at its Gen 8.6 organic light-emitting diode (OLED) production line for about six months, according to industry sources on Oct. 13.
The prolonged issue could make it harder for BOE to win orders for Apple’s iPad displays or delay the timing, as the company has only recently begun qualifying panels for the U.S. technology giant.
According to THE ELEC, glass substrates at BOE’s B16 production line in Chengdu have repeatedly developed cracks or broken since the line entered its initial production phase. BOE is operating two lines while investigating the cause, but has yet to determine whether the problem stems from equipment, materials, or process conditions.
Cracking occurs relatively infrequently. However, when a large glass substrate breaks inside equipment, production must stop while the broken glass is removed and the equipment inspected. Restoring the equipment to normal operation can take anywhere from half a day to a full day.
Even if only two or three out of every 1,000 glass substrates crack, the problem can disrupt mass production. Unlike conventional yield losses, in which a small number of defective substrates are discarded, a single break can directly affect equipment utilization and production schedules. Industry sources say manufacturers need to reduce such incidents to virtually zero on production lines that depend on continuous operation.
“Although the frequency is not high, a single break involving a large glass substrate can require substantial time to stop and restore the equipment,” an industry source said. “For mass production across multiple products, the cause of even an intermittent problem must be clearly identified and eliminated.”