NEWS

Increase in Production Capacity in XY Stage

August 07, 2003

Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. will expand the clean area for the XY stage within its Okayama Works (Kurashiki, Okayama) to increase the production capacity approximately to three times.

SHI Okayama Works has been producing the XY stage to be integrated in the coating unit for LCD color filters since February 2003. SHI will construct a new clean room to increase the production capacity of positioning units at Okayama Works from 35 units to 100 units per year. In the expanded clean area, the large travel gantry XY stage for LCD panel production systems and the ultra-precision XY stage for semiconductor production systems will be produced in addition to the XY stage for the coating unit. The expanded clean area will be put into operation around the middle of October 2003.

At present, the leading LCD panel manufacturers in Japan, Korea and Taiwan are making active investments in the advanced systems capable of producing large displays for LCD TV equipment. So demand for the large-type stage for large LCD panel manufacturing systems is drastically increasing. In the semiconductor field, demand is also in the recovery condition, and the inquiries for the XY stage requiring the ultra-precision positioning function are also abruptly increasing. SHI has estimated that the future volume of received orders will exceed the total of both production capacities of Tanashi Works (Nishitokyo, Tokyo) and Okayama Works, and decided to expand the facilities in Okayama Works.