In the field, the military uses heavy glass screens for everything from communications equipment to devices meant to detect bombs, chemical and biological weapons.
Obviously there are mobility issues with such cumbersome screens, but there are also other dangers. A thick and sharp shard of glass broken off when impacted during an attack could present a significant threat to armed forces personnel.
According to an article in Chemical and Engineering News, scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory spent $4 million dollars to develop a glue that could survive acids, etching and other harsh conditions of semiconductor manufacturing. This allowed them to design lightweight, flexible screens that could be used on various pieces of equipment, replacing their heavier and more dangerous predecessors.
"The Army recognized that flexible displays were a useful technology, so we wanted to speed their development,” said David C. Morton, who manages the Flexible Display Center at the Army’s lab outside Washington, D.C. "We are successful in the sense that there will be commercial technology this year that the Army will be able to buy."
Efficiently joining dissimilar metals and other materials is leading to staggering breakthroughs in developing equipment used for industrial, military and even space exploration applications. Innovation in just one area can open the floodgates of advancement in countless others.
Solder-based bonding technologies – like those provided by S-Bond – can also effectively bond dissimilar materials and are leading to revolutionary leaps forward in several industries. Windows of opportunity are being opened that were previously glued shut – though clearly they weren't sealed with the same quality we now have the ability to produce.