Thin Film Coating Anaheim: What Products Use Thin Film? - NTFL
June 27
What Products Utilize Thin Film?

Do You Own a Device With Thin Film Technology?

Here at Newport Thin Film Laboratory, we love talking about thin film coatings. While the average person may not spend a lot of time considering these wonderful materials, without them the world as we know it would not be able to function the way that it does. Thin film coatings can be found in a wide variety of devices across a wide range of industries and are truly ubiquitous in the daily life of billions of people. In today’s post, we are going to cover some of the devices that utilize thin film coatings to show the importance that these tiny barriers have in our everyday lives. Continue reading below to learn more.

Thin Film is in Billions of Devices Around The Globe

Whether you are aware of it or not, at this very moment there are devices around you with that utilize thin film coatings. This technology has become so ingrained in our global society that it is often overlooked, however, we feel that thin film deserves some recognition. Below, we have listed a few of the most common devices in which you can find thin film technology.

  • Tablets/Smartphones: Smartphones, and to a lesser extent tablets, have become a major part of billions of people’s lives. An essential component of the advancement of this technology is thin, lightweight displays and touch panels that are durable yet functional. Thin films have a profound effect on touch panels and help to improve touch features, increase the transmittance of touch panels, and lengthen the lifespan of displays. If you have a smartphone on you at the moment, chances are extremely high that you are also carrying around thin film.
  • Precision Optical Instruments: As prices have fallen and the technology has improved, liquid crystal displays are being used more and more in devices such as televisions, digital cameras, and projectors. Optical thin film coating is used in regard to these devices to produce lenses with virtually no reflection, metal films with a high level of reflectance, and optical filters and mirrors that are used to create rich, vibrant colors. Additionally, reflecting telescopes used by researchers and hobbyists alike utilize optic thin films to produce mirrors that are highly reflective, enabling the user to enlarge the images of stars that they are observing.
  • Clean Energy: If you have been paying attention to energy trends at all these last few years, you are probably already well aware of the fact that clean energy is starting to become a major player. As this technology advances and costs are driven down, clean energy is poised to be the next great energy boom. One branch of clean energy, solar energy, is becoming an increasingly popular method of harnessing energy, however, without the use of thin films solar panels would not perform nearly as well as they do now. High-durability, transparent thin film is used to protect the surface of the solar panels.
  • Transportation: That’s right, thin films are used in the vehicles that you see every day traveling along the streets of your city. Defrosters and transparent heaters that are used to keep the windows of vehicles from freezing during cold weather make use of thin film technology. Additionally, traffic light lenses and headlight covers on cars make use of thin film coatings to ensure that condensation does not form on the surface of these coverings.

As you can see, thin film is everywhere. While it may not get quite the fanfare that other forms of technology receive, without thin film coatings the devices that we have come to rely on and love would not function the way that we have become accustomed to. Here at Newport Thin Film Laboratory, we want the world to understand the importance of thin film technology and we would love to answer any and all questions that you may have about the thin films that we use or the processes by which we apply these films. To learn more about what we do, how we do it, and why we do it visit our website today. Our experienced staff and precise application techniques can be adapted to a wide range of jobs and we are certain that we can handle anything you throw our way.

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