The Corning cover glass for electronic devices offers up to two times better performance over competing products when dropped on rough surfaces.
Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) announced 20 November 2014 its latest breakthrough innovation in consumer electronics material design, Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4, which is up to two times tougher than any competitive cover glass design now in the market. The new Gorilla Glass 4 has been formulated to address consumers’ No. 1 issue – screen breakage from everyday drops.
Gorilla Glass 4 provides at least two times improved damage resistance over competitive aluminosilicate glass, as measured by retained strength after damage events, resulting in improved mechanical durability of the glass to in-field damage events, such as drops.
Corning scientists examined hundreds of broken devices and found that damage caused by sharp contact accounted for more than 70 percent of field failures. The scientists then developed new drop-test methods that simulate real-world break events, based on thousands of hours analyzing cover glass that had broken in the field or laboratory. The scientists used the new methods to drop devices face down from one meter, such that the cover glass directly contacted a rough surface. They found that Gorilla Glass 4 is up to two times tougher than competitive glasses and survives up to 80 percent of the time while soda-lime glass, as deployed in today’s commercial devices, breaks nearly 100 percent of the time.
“Corning® Gorilla® Glass has outperformed competing materials, such as soda-lime glass and other strengthened glass, since it was introduced in 2007, and we’re always innovating to push the limits of what glass can do,” said James R. Steiner, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Specialty Materials. “With Gorilla Glass 4, we have focused on significantly improving protection against sharp contact damage, which is the primary reason that mobile devices break. Dropping and breaking a phone is a common problem, and one that our customers have asked us to help address.”
Gorilla Glass 4 is manufactured using Corning’s proprietary fusion draw process. It maintains the thinness, durability, and optical clarity for which Gorilla Glass is known, while dramatically improving drop performance. Over 40 manufacturers have designed Gorilla Glass into a total of 1,395 product models, and have branded Gorilla Glass touch cover glass as a key selling feature. Since its launch in 2007, Gorilla Glass has been featured in more than 3 billion devices.
Product sampling and shipment for Gorilla Glass 4 are under way with Corning’s global customers.