FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nippon Paper Chemicals Co., Ltd. (President: Toshio Inoue) is pleased to announce it has developed a highly abrasion-resistant clear hardcoat film for next-generation LCD panels. Applied to the surface of such panels, as a protective film for polarizers, this functional film offers the highest abrasion resistance and hardness in the industry. It thus assures optimum performance as a protective film for next-generation LCD panels – such as those used for notebook PCs and monitors with TV capability – which need to provide more accurate color reproduction for high-resolution video.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for improved yields in LCD panel production as well as for a better means to protect such panels from scratching, for example during everyday use of a notebook PC. The clear hardcoat film newly developed by NPC is able to satisfy such requirements thanks to its vastly improved abrasion resistance – more than ten times the level achieved by film hitherto marketed by the company and the highest level ever achieved in the industry.*1 And with a pencil hardness rating of 3H (JIS)*2 this film offers the highest level of hardness in the industry for a standard, commercially available product. Moreover, it is designed for improved ease of cleaning, facilitating the removal of fingerprints and smudges; this is a welcome characteristic both on the LCD panel production line and when using a notebook PC under real-world conditions.

NPC has long maintained top position in the market for LCD hardcoat films. Thanks to its rigorous clean management practices and the use of manufacturing technologies that are based on years of experience, the company is able to ensure a stable supply of this high-quality, highly abrasion-resistant clear hardcoat film for next-generation LCD panels.

NPC will be exhibiting this new highly abrasion-resistant clear hard-coat film at the 19th FINETECH JAPAN (see below for show info).