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APPLE AWARDS CORNING US $ 45 MILLION FROM ITS ADVANCED MANUFACTURING FUND
Apple is awarding US $ 45 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to Corning , a supplier of precision glass for iPhone , Apple Watch and iPad . The funding will expand Corning ’ s manufacturing capacity in the US and drive research and development into innovative new technologies that support durability and long-lasting product life , building on both Apple and Corning ’ s deep commitment to protecting the environment .
Corning has already received US $ 450 million from Apple ’ s US $ 5 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund over the last four years . Apple ’ s investment helps support more than 1,000 jobs across Corning ’ s US operations in Kentucky and other facilities . The investment has also helped facilitate research and development into state-ofthe-art glass processes , which led to the creation of Ceramic Shield , a new material that is tougher than any smartphone glass .
“ Apple and Corning have a long history of working together to accomplish the impossible ,” said Jeff Williams , Apple ’ s Chief Operating Officer . “ From the very first iPhone glass , to the revolutionary Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 12 line-up , our collaboration has changed the landscape of smartphone cover design and durability .
“ Ceramic Shield is a prime example of the technologies that are possible when deep innovation meets the power of American manufacturing . We ’ re so proud to work alongside Corning , whose 170-year-old legacy is a testament to the ingenuity of the US workforce .”
With support from Apple ’ s Advanced Manufacturing Fund , experts at both companies worked together to develop a new glass-ceramic , which gets its strength from nano-ceramic crystals , produced in Corning ’ s plant in Harrodsburg , Kentucky , the facility where every generation of iPhone glass has been made .
The new material was enabled by a hightemperature crystallisation step which forms nano-crystals within the glass matrix . Those specialised crystals are kept small enough that the material is transparent . The resulting material makes up the revolutionary Ceramic Shield , which Apple used to fashion the new front cover featured on iPhone in the iPhone 12 lineup . Prior to Ceramic Shield , embedded crystals have traditionally affected the material ’ s transparency , a crucial factor for the front cover of iPhone because so many features , including the display , the camera and sensors for Face ID , need optical clarity to function .
“ We are incredibly proud of our collaboration with Apple on Ceramic Shield , made possible in part through the Advanced Manufacturing Fund and the hard work and dedication of hundreds of individuals at Corning and Apple ,” said Wendell P . Weeks , Corning ’ s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer . “ We thank Apple for our longstanding product-development partnership and for its continued commitment to supporting the American workforce . The deep investment it has provided for new manufacturing technology in our Harrodsburg , Kentucky , facility is not only fuelling life-changing innovation , it ’ s also helping us sustain vital communities where we live and work – a fundamental objective at both of our companies . Together , we ’ re developing a worldclass workforce , engaging them in new technologies and creating opportunities for learning and training .” x
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