One-Page Release Version
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – ONE-PAGE VERSION
New Way® Air Bearings Launches Modular Conveyor Air Bearings
to Support Flat Panel Display Manufacturing Processes
Aston, Pennsylvania, USA, May 24, 2005 - New Way® Air Bearings has introduced a line of three modular
air bearing products specifically designed to meet the glass-handling requirements of the Flat Panel Display
(FPD) manufacturing process. This line includes flat panel conveyor air bearings for floating glass in high
speed applications, low airflow applications, and for applications under or near precision processes.
With Gen 6, 7, and 8 glass sizes, machine design challenges increase exponentially, creating significant
obstacles to a simple scaling of Gen 4 and Gen 5 machines. A unit glass area of 4 m2 behaves quite
differently than one of 1m2. With the more significant economic loss due to damage of panels this size, FPD
manufacturers are demanding non-contact handling solutions.
“Our conveyor air bearings provide significant advantages over conventional contact bearings or orificebased air bearings, especially for coating or AOI applications in Gen-5 or higher manufacturing lines,” said
Tim Claffey, New Way Vice President, Sales. “They provide superior stiffness for faster settling time and
higher yield, without the scratching or breakage typical of competitive systems. They also enable higher
process velocity, reliability, and control, for greater throughput.”
For improved non-contact control of FPD glass at high manufacturing process speeds, New Way® has
developed a High Speed FPD Conveyor Air Bearing. A large vacuum area results in a smaller air gap,
providing higher stiffness and improved damping.
“As designers have tried to reduce or eliminate damage caused by the substrate contacting the chuck, they
have increased the fly height, but the problem remains,” noted Drew Devitt, New Way Chairman and Chief
Technology Officer. “Although it might be counterintuitive, New Way has found that a lower air gap actually
reduces the chance for contact, since the stiffness of an air film is inversely proportional to the air gap. Fly
heights should be less than 50 microns for the best control of FPD glass, and reduced scratching or
breakage.”
more
May 24, 2005
New Way Air Bearings – FPD Conveyor Air Bearing Product Launch
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One-Page Release Version
For precision processing applications, New Way® introduced a Porous Media Precision Chuck, which
provides a much higher level of precision, stiffness, and damping than traditional air conveyors. The net
result is that by moving the glass over an array of New Way® Precision Chucks, large, costly, substratesized vacuum chucks can eliminated.
To add control under low air flow requirements, New Way® applied its proprietary porous media solution to
its new Low Flow FPD Conveyor Air Bearing. By plumbing most of the porous media face with low pressure
air, and utilizing high pressure air only around the vacuum holes, flow requirements are greatly reduced.
Unlike conventional orifice air bearings, New Way® Porous Media controls the airflow across the entire
bearing surface through millions of holes in the material. More consistent air pressure distribution provides
for superior performance, even after severe surface damage. New Way® Air Bearings are approved for use
in Class-10 Clean Rooms, where the constant flow of air helps keep dust away from the bearing surface.
Conveyor Air Bearings are the latest additions to the complete line of porous media air bearing products
from New Way® Air Bearings, including flat air bearings, cylindrical air bushings, vacuum reloaded air
bearings, radial air bearings, and air bearing stages. For specifications and a complete design guide, visit
www.newwayairbearings.com.
New Way® Air Bearings, Inc. is the market leader in the design and manufacture of modular air bearings
and is the recognized provider of porous media air bearing solutions. Founded in 1994, New Way® is
located in Aston, Pennsylvania, USA, just fifteen minutes from Philadelphia International Airport.
#
Contact
Michael Wright – Director of Marketing
New Way Air Bearings, Inc.
50 McDonald Blvd., Aston, PA 19014 USA
610.364.3453
[email protected]
www.newwayairbearings.com
Note:
High-resolution images of the New Way® Flat Panel Display Conveyor Air Bearing products referenced in this
release are available for use by the media. Contact Michael Wright, Director of Marketing, New Way Air Bearings, at
610.364.3453 or by email at [email protected]
May 24, 2005
New Way Air Bearings – FPD Conveyor Air Bearing Product Launch
One-Page Press Release Page 2