Powerfilm Share Discussion Threads

[shroder] 01/7/2011 09:48

Agree Robbo, it looks promising especially if margins improve due to the new facilities (meter wide manufacturing)

The company definitely seem to making more of an effort on the sales front with some sellers on Ebay recording good volumes, had a quick check of one seller 'cardauction77' in the US - figures are for June only but do show regular sales, what will be interesting is to compare with say July.


$99.94
$293.99
$70.00
$90.00
$202.99
$90.00
$774.99
$90.00
$98.99
$94.99
$94.99
$99.99
$94.99
$94.99
$92.00
$95.85
$98.99
$94.99
$98.99

Total for June $2,771.67

Possible annual tunover x 12 $33,260.04

[robbo63] 30/6/2011 15:00

Shroder,
Looking at 2010 figures for total sales they came in at $10.3m for the year so the $5.7m of orders for the fist half looks good, of course it needs to be booked but at least they are confirmed.
If they can renew their army contract which came in sept last year ($2.7m) that will take them over.

[shroder] 29/6/2011 08:48

Considering the information HP made available prior to the conference (peer review) there seems to be a bit of a vacuum in terms of press releases, this contrasts sharply with '08 when we saw endless media coverage.

I am hoping this is a good sign indicating they are close to a formal announcement either on the collaborative project (US army) or perhaps individual applications such as screens, RFID tags ect..

[shroder] 22/6/2011 11:20

Travelling at the mo using a mini book so excuse the bad typos.

Figure wise it read ok and should be in line with Nomuras forecasts pending gov development contracts which are lumpy, 2011orders received at $5.7m so on track if second half is similar.

The odd thing is the conference only starts this PM so maybe a bit hasty on that front.

[timely4] 22/6/2011 11:13

It read to me as though they wanted to (hastily) get the bad news out of the way i.e no profit and flat turnover. The drop in the share price was inevitable as some PI bailed out at 26p (very strange thing to do given that things are only just about to get interesting imo).

I am sure that over the next 6 months there will be a steady flow of news as the technology translates into contracts. Maybe wishful thinking on my part, but time will tell as ever.

[shroder] 22/6/2011 10:57

I agree, that was a hollow update if ever I saw one - I guess a lot of folk were pining hopes on todays event with HP, we might still get something later on.

[qwazi] 22/6/2011 09:09

Pity that no progress announced on the certification in the trading update.

[shroder] 20/6/2011 22:11

This write up (old) suggests many different applications for SAIL R2R technology.


Thin-Film Production Process by PowerFilm, HP Wins Industry R+D Award

Published on February 16, 2010 at 7:44 PM

A thin-film electronic backplane production process developed by PowerFilm Inc. and technology giant HP took top R+D honors at the 2010 Flexible Electronics + Displays Conference this month in Phoenix.

The HP-PowerFilm partnership's Self-Aligned Imprint Lithography, or SAIL, process received the 2010 FLEXI Award in the R+D category. Imprint lithography's ideal suitability to the roll-to-roll process was recognized in the award from the San Jose, Calif.-based FlexTech Alliance for electronic display and flexible, printed electronics.

Specifically, the award named four attributes that make SAIL perfect for the process that makes electronic backplanes by molding a 3-D masking structure atop a stack of unpatterned thin films:

> High resolution

> Compatibility with flexible substrates

> High throughput

> Ability to reproduce complex 3D structures

The ability of SAIL to maintain perfect alignment in the face of process induced distortion represents significant cost savings by eliminating an expensive aligning process used in the current method of creating thin-film transistor arrays.

"This technology partnership with HP has allowed PowerFilm to extend its core roll-to-roll manufacturing expertise beyond PV [photovoltaics] and into additional thin film semiconductor devices," said PowerFilm CEO Frank Jeffrey. "We welcome this industry recognition of the SAIL process for thin film electronics, which in turn may enable future markets for next-generation flat panel displays, RFID tags, electronic paper and more."

In presenting the 2010 FLEXI Awards on Feb. 3, FlexTech CEO Michael Ciesinski said submission of multiple nominations in each category – R+D, product development and leadership in education – showed building momentum in the flexible, printed electronics industry.

For a news release announcing all 2010 FLEXI Award recipients and detailing the winning SAIL process, visit: www.flextech.org/au-news-detail.aspx?item=26917

PowerFilm, Inc. is a developer and manufacturer of thin, flexible solar panels based on a proprietary low cost production process. The company's objective is to target the building integrated solar power market, and to continue to supply products for selected portable and remote solar power applications. PowerFilm is based in Ames, Iowa.

PowerFilm was founded in 1988 by Dr. Frank Jeffrey and Dr. Derrick Grimmer, both former 3M research physicists, with a combined 65 years of experience in semiconductor and solar energy research and development.

[qwazi] 17/6/2011 11:20

Gone a bit quiet here. Would be nice to have an update on the certification.

[shroder] 16/6/2011 12:45

Apparently it's 'touch' sensitive :-)




The outer surface of the bikini is covered with 1 x 4-inch (25.4 x 101.6 mm) flexible photovoltaic cells from PowerFilm Solar, which are precision hand-stitched onto the base material using conductive thread.

Photon bombardment sends the electrons down to a 5V DC terminator and onward to a female USB connector for device attachment. The output is said to be comparable to a laptop's USB port, as is the time it takes to charge an MP3 player or mobile phone.

[shroder] 14/6/2011 18:46

Have a look at this and see what you think, it's from Feb 2010 but sounds like the new screens will be 'touch' sensitive -

Feedback appreciated especially from those with a better understanding of the market than myself.
__________________________________________

Two companies, US PowerFilm subsidiary Phicot and a Portugese company Displax are producing new polymer skins interfaces. In Phicot's case the skin is adapted from existing a cheap silicon solar cells embedded in printed polymer process, while Displax has based its polymer around capacitive technology on a thinner than paper film that turns glass, plastic, wood or curved surfaces into an interactive touch screen display.

"The basic technology of roll-to-roll can bring the price down and make plastic an excellent option for the back half of the display," says Frank Jeffrey, cofounder and CEO of PowerFilm and former 3M research physicist.



From Displax web site;

The Technology

DISPLAX™ Multitouch Technology works by using a grid of nanowires embedded in a thinner-than-paper polymer film. Each time a finger is placed on the screen or a user blows onto the surface, a small electrical disturbance is detected allowing the micro-processor controller to pinpoint the movement or direction of the air flow.

[timely4] 13/6/2011 22:50

Wow - I wonder when this will become public?

[shroder] 13/6/2011 20:06

Did anyone spot the reference in the video to using flexible displays for watches or something as large as a billboard?

This is exactly the sort of thing that could come out of their partnership with Ferrari textiles;

[asparks] 13/6/2011 13:19

2 year breakout

[asparks] 13/6/2011 13:13

5-day chart showing bid/offer spread shaded - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - and intraday chart



+ 3 month charts -----------------------------------------------------------and 2 year charts

[asparks] 13/6/2011 13:08

another tick up....someone likes buying 5k lots

[qwazi] 13/6/2011 09:49

PLHC on the offer at 36. We know from experience that they're rarely sole MM bid or offered on this stock for long. I'd expect them to join WINS.

[asparks] 13/6/2011 09:49

I cant believe there is not more interest here....this could fly IMO

[shroder] 12/6/2011 21:55

Their recent presentation paper also details colour a display.

[shroder] 12/6/2011 21:48

I think the article is old as they are quoting from '07 perhaps around 2008 when HP last updated the market.

The only thing I hadn't seen before was the video but this too could be old, Carl is sporting a pony tail in the vid which I don't think he has now, lol.

We may get some up to date info when he speaks at the forthcoming conference, details below.

VI.B.-1 Invited Paper

Defect Analysis of Roll-to-Roll SAIL Manufactured Flexible Display Backplanes

C. Taussig1, R. E. Elder1, W. B. Jackson1, A. Jeans1, M. Jam, E. Holland1, H. Luo1, J. Maltabes1, C. Perlov1, S. Trovinger1, M. Almanza-Workman2, R. A. Garcia2, H. Kim2, O. Kwon2, and F. Jeffrey2, 1HP Labs, Palo Alto, California, USA and 2Phicot Inc., Palo Alto, California, USA

[timely4] 12/6/2011 21:23

While the potential for their technology seems fantastic, to not have a colour option for 3 years is going to hold back its adoption big time imo.

[shroder] 12/6/2011 17:52

This looks to be a new video relating to flexible displays, well worth watching if you are following the HP/Phicot alliance (scroll down to corporate TV)

Carl Taussig in the video is the chap heading up the collaboration with Powerfilm/Phicot.

[shroder] 12/6/2011 13:28

Robbo, I checked their web site but could find nothing of similar size, at a guess it's a special design for the military, perhaps a field battery and inverter combined.

The foldable chargers hanging from their backpack whilst on the move looked cool, charging on the go - maybe something that happens universally if power becomes expensive enough.

[robbo63] 11/6/2011 14:39

Shroder-Yeah, interesting, could it be an inverter?