Asian wires said that Samsung has managed to develop plastic, rather than glass panels for LCD displays. This is a manufacturing breakthrough, an analyst said. The units will be both lighter and cheaper than the current displays and will be aimed at the growing notebook market where lightness is at a premium. Bob Raikes, chief analyst at monitor market research company Meko, said the development would help Samsung achieve economies of scale. He said: "If Samsung has succeeded in making this on the substrate level, they may well gain a significant advantage in manufacturing." He explained that they key to plastic technology is to get bigger substrates. "Plastic may be a significant advantage in allowing them [Samsung] to make bigger panels at a far cheaper rate," he said. Plastic LCDs are also far less fragile than glass, also making them an attractive option for notebooks. According to the reports, the panels are .6 millimetres thick and are over 20 per cent lighter than the existing products. ® Click here for more stories