HYDERABAD: A group of researchers from the University of Hyderabad have developed and designed a low-cost, indigenous rubbing machine - employed in manufacturing LCDs (Liquid Crystal Display). The machine, touted to be the first of its kind and the cheapest in the world, has the potential to create new market forces across the globe.
Professor Surajit Dhara of UoH, who has worked actively in the field of liquid crystals for years, designed the simple-to-operate, portable, and inexpensive rubbing machine. “Though LCDs are not manufactured in India, the advent of this technology is a step ahead in future,” said Prof Dhara.
Prof Dhara said that LCD screens were manufactured by assembling two transparent electrically conducting glass substrates, in which the liquid crystal is confined. “The rubbing process creates microgrooves where the liquid crystals get in,” he explained.
High market potential
The machine is commercially being sold in India and abroad by Holmarc Opto-Mechatronics. Currently, the technology is being used for research and development purposes. It is expected that the machine will not only encourage the fabrication of LCDs in India, but will also lower the production cost