GT Advanced, manufacturer of sapphire crystal components for Apple is ramping up production. According to SEC Filings, the company entered a partnership with Apple last year which came with an exclusivity clause for “Consumer Electronics Products”. The company currently manufactures sapphire crystal components like Apple Touch ID fingerprint readers and caps for camera sensors. GT Advanced already has 518 sapphire crystal furnace units and has placed orders for 420 additional units.
GT Advanced has put in orders for Intego’s Sirius Sapphire Display Inspection Tool components which are meant to analyze display grade sapphire crystal. The tools will make sure that the production is of very high quality, ensure high yield. The facility that is currently operating out of Mesa, Arizona has enough capacity to manufacture between 103-116 million panels with the 518 furnace units that it already has. With the additional 420 units on order, the company will bump up production by between 84 to 94 million screen covers. GT Advanced has also placed in an order for 100 tons of graphite that is used to fire up the furnace. There is indication that this production will go towards a critical new component that is believed to be the larger display cover that’ll be needed for the rumored larger iPhone expected later this year. Rumors suggest that the next generation iPhone will have a larger 4.9 inch display alongside curved glass edges.
[Via – 9to5 Mac]