SCHOTT claims Xensation glass is toughest, tells Corning to come get some

Corning and its Gorilla Glass might get most of the press, but SCHOTT claims that it, not the 160-year-old New York-based manufacturer, makes the toughest sheets for smartphones. The German company launched Xensation Cover Glass, a break and scratch-resistant alumino-silicate, at SID. Originally announced last year, the material had to undergo stringent testing from potential customers before being brought to market. Now Xensation is ready to make its debut in consumer products, which should start shipping in the third quarter of 2012. Unfortunately, SCHOTT wouldn't divulge who might be making those products, but it did take the opportunity to brag that Xensation has a 20 percent higher bending strength than "competitor glass types." Which means future phones featuring the panels might be a bit less shatter-prone than some currently popular offerings. Want more? There's an anti-glare version for all you gloss-hating types. Check out the PR and promo video after the break.

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SCHOTT Xensation™ Cover Glass Coming to a Device Near You

SCHOTT Xensation™ Cover glass, the strongest cover glass available on the market today, will soon be appearing in consumer electronic devices everywhere

June 5, 2012 (Mainz, Germany & Boston, Mass.) – High-technology company and specialty glass producer SCHOTT today announced the successful market entry of Xensation™ Cover glass, the high-quality, ultra-strong alumino-silicate glass that offers outstanding resistance to breakage and scratches, making it ideal for touch screen devices such as smartphones, tablets and gaming gadgets.

SCHOTT will be showcasing Xensation™ Cover glass at the Society for Information Display's (SID) annual "Display Week" in Boston, MA (Booth 443). "We launched this new product in the fall of 2011 and went through an extensive qualification process at all large consumer electronics brands. Not only did our customers give us very positive feedback, they confirmed our belief that SCHOTT has raised the benchmark when it comes to cover glass performance and ultimate strength. First models of touch screen devices which use Xensation™ Cover glass will appear on the market in the course of the third quarter of 2012", said Lutz Gruebel, Head of global sales and marketing activities of the SCHOTT Xensation™ brand family.

Using industry standard cover glass processing parameters, tests conducted both at SCHOTT and at customer sites demonstrated that Xensation™ Cover glass is able to consistently reach compressive stress values which are greater than comparable materials on the market. Such impressive values result in an up to 20% higher bending strength, thus offering device makers peace of mind knowing that Xensation™ Cover glass can protect even their sleekest products from the bumps and scrapes of everyday life.

Xensation™ Cover glass has also demonstrated in mass production that it is the most robust cover glass available today. It allows cover glass processors the opportunity to chemically strengthen the SCHOTT material more efficiently (e.g. in less time) than competitor glass types without compromising on ultimate strength. Such a broad process window for cover glass processing results in more reliable and consistent cover glass performance, and potentially leads to lower device manufacturing costs.

"We are pleased to offer device manufacturers and consumers a new, high-performance alternative in the market for damage-resistant cover glass that not only offers optimal protection for their devices, but also enables sleeker, slimmer designs", said Professor Udo Ungeheuer, Chairman of the Management Board at SCHOTT.

Xensation™ is a trademark of SCHOTT AG.

Ultra-strong cover glass for display applications without irritating glare

SCHOTT teams up with glass processing specialist Berliner Glas to launch SCHOTT Xensation™ Cover AG (Anti-Glare) glass, the world's first ultra-strong cover glass with state-of-the-art anti-glare effect.

June 5, 2012 (Mainz, Germany & Boston, Mass.) – International technology group and specialty glass manufacturer SCHOTT today became the first company worldwide to offer customers a high-performance cover glass that combines not only supreme strength and damage resistance but also a special anti-glare effect capable of significantly reducing glare on high resolution displays.

Glass has emerged as the material of choice as a cover for many electronic displays because of its outstanding tactile and aesthetic properties, as well as the scratch resistance and strength performance made possible by specialty glass types such as Xensation™ Cover glass. With electronic displays continuing to be adopted across an ever-broader range of applications, display visibility in today's most popular devices has become an increasingly critical issue, with manufacturers keen to prevent their high resolution displays becoming distorted by adverse viewing conditions, such as bright sunlight or high ambient lighting.

With the glass surface itself determining what level of transparency is possible, if annoying reflections can be reduced or whether colors can be accurately reproduced, a modification of the glass surface is required to counter the effects of intensive light radiation. SCHOTT's Xensation™ Cover floated alumino-silicate glass is therefore subjected to a custom-designed etching process developed by glass surface modification specialist Berliner Glas, whereby ions are taken out of the glass surface during etching to make it diffuse. Uniform removal of material is a critical requirement for ensuring the glass surface is perceived as faultless by the human eye and Xensation™ Cover's unique glass structure, combined with Berliner Glas' etching technology, offers a uniform, homogenous structure not previously possible with ultra-strong glass types.

The result is the groundbreaking Xensation™ Cover AG (Anti-Glare) glass. "Xensation™ Cover AG glass is the first ultra-strong glass that can be reproducibly treated and etched in a continuous, industrial-scale production process. The beauty of this product is that it combines all the benefits the market has come to associate with Xensation™ Cover glass with an outstanding non-reflective surface", according to Lutz Gruebel, Global Sales & Marketing Director for SCHOTT's Xensation™ brand family. "The novel etching process has been fully optimized to maintain the strength and scratch resistance of Xensation™ Cover glass, opening up a vast array of application possibilities and further improving the general consumer experience".

SCHOTT is showcasing Xensation™ Cover AG glass for the first time at the SID trade fair. The company will be offering two product types as standard, one with a gloss value of 60 and the other with a gloss value of 90, with both available for sampling. In addition, Xensation™ Cover AG glass is available on request with customized gloss values tailored to the specific requirements of a customer's application. This is made possible by the flexibility of the etching process, as it can be easily adjusted to provide the right amount of surface roughness needed to achieve a certain anti-glare effect.

Xensation™ is a trademark of SCHOTT AG.

SCHOTT is an international technology group with more than 125 years of experience in the areas of specialty glasses and materials and advanced technologies. SCHOTT ranks number one in the world with many of its products. Its core markets are the household appliance, solar power, pharmaceuticals, electronics, optics, transportation and architecture industries. The company is strongly committed to contributing to its customers' success and making SCHOTT an important part of people's lives with high-quality products and intelligent solutions. SCHOTT is committed to managing its business in a sustainable manner and supporting its employees, society and the environment. The SCHOTT Group maintains close proximity to its customers with manufacturing and sales units in all major markets. Its workforce of around 17,000 employees generated worldwide sales of approximately 2.9 billion euros for the 2010/2011 fiscal year.

BERLINER GLAS is one of Europe's leading producers of high-quality technical glass solutions as well as optical key components, assemblies and systems. The private owned company employs around 1,000 people worldwide.
Our business unit Technical Glass converts many years of highly skilled expertise in glass processing into innovative solutions for strategic markets. Front panels for touch displays, TV-sets or navigation systems, for solar systems or lighting applications – our high-tech glass is used all over the world.
BERLINER GLAS Surface Technology has been dedicated to processing glass surfaces for almost 40 years. We structure the glass surfaces by etching to defined surface properties, surface roughness or gloss values. Berliner glass's etching process is unique in its ability to meet targeted performance of desired surface property, uniformity and reproducibility.