Home> Press Release> Press Release (2004)> ZEON Corporation Develops New ZEONEX ® Product (ZEONEX 340R) Compatible
with Blue Laser Technology

ZEON Corporation Develops New ZEONEX® Product (ZEONEX 340R)
Compatible with Blue Laser Technology
November 5, 2004
ZEON Corporation (President & CEO: Naozumi Furukawa) has developed and established mass production
technology for a new product of ZEONEX®, which is a high-performance transparent thermoplastic cyclo-olefin
polymer (COP). The new product, ZEONEX340R, will be used as a material for optical pick-up lenses compatible
with both HD-DVDs and Blu-ray discs that use blue laser technology (widely regarded as the next-generation
optical disk).
Currently, in preparation for full scale launch of terrestrial digital broadcasting in 2006, development of highdensity optical disc media using blue laser technology, which enables the recording/playing of a large volume ofhigh-resolution images, is advancing rapidly.
Meanwhile, existing optical resins for DVD optical pickup lenses have not been put into practical use with blue
laser, due to such drawbacks as diminished light transmittance when used over long periods of time. Costly glassfor lenses was required and believed to be one of the obstacles in the spread of recording/playing media using
blue lasers.
However, ZEON has successfully developed ZEONEX340R, which has been proven to minimize the change inlight transmittance in a lengthy, continuous operation test, and the Company has established mass production
technology. ZEONEX340R will be lens material that will promote the spread of recording/playing media using
blue laser technology, since it allows for manufacture of lenses by injection molding, just like existing opticalresins.
The Specialty Plastics Division will start selling ZEONEX340R from November 2004, as a new product of theZEONEX® series. Expected sales for fiscal 2007 are estimated at more than ¥2 billion. Demand for highperformance transparent thermoplastic resin, cyclo-olefin polymer (COP, product names: ZEONEX® andZEONOR®) is surging in optical markets such as LCD optical film (product name: ZeonorFilm®), diffusion plates,
mobile phones incorporating cameras, digital cameras, and DVDs. ZEON intends to aggressively continue
offering new products that meet the needs of the market.
Supplementary explanation of COPThe Company is aiming at full utilization of C5 fraction, a by-product produced when ethylene and propylene arederived from naphtha. COP is made from dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) extracted and separated from the C5fraction. ZEONEX®, a high-grade COP originally developed and marketed by ZEON in 1990 ahead of othercompanies across the globe, exhibits low water absorbency, good fluidity and high-precision molding property
when heated or melted, and a lower specific gravity. Utilizing its high transparency and low double-refraction
properties, it is mainly used for optical devices such as lenses and prisms for cameras on mobile phones, digital
cameras, and compact cameras. It is also used in pick-up lenses for OA equipment and for optical disks,
including CDs, MDs, and DVDs.
In 1998, the Company launched ZEONOR®, a standard-grade COP with improved impact- and heat-resistantproperties as well as high transparency. It is widely used in the manufacture of light guides and diffusion platesfor LCDs, optical film, extensions for automobile headlights, tableware, and pharmaceutical containers andpackages.

For further informationZeon Corporation,
Department of Corporate Communications
Tel: +81-3-3216-2747