Can an LCD panel be physically cut to a non-standard active area?

Yes. Physical LCD cell resizing cuts the glass substrate and thin-film transistor array at precise coordinates, reseals the cell to maintain hermetic integrity, and trims or relocates the flex ribbon to the new geometry. The result is a fully functional active matrix TFT LCD at your specified active area. Any aspect ratio — square, rectangular, or custom.

How do I get an LCD at a custom size not available from commercial manufacturers?

Submit your required active area in millimeters (horizontal and vertical). Engineering selects a compatible TFT donor panel with sufficient area to yield your dimensions and physically resizes it to specification. No new glass fabrication required. Feasibility confirmed within one business day at no cost. Production lead time is 6–8 weeks ARO.

What is LCD cell resizing and how does it differ from a bezel mask or software crop?

LCD cell resizing is a physical manufacturing process that modifies the glass substrate itself — not a mask, crop, or optical illusion. The donor panel is cut at the exact boundary of your required active area, resealed, polarizer-replaced, and flex ribbon relocated. The active pixel array terminates at your specified dimensions. Every pixel outside your active area is physically removed, not obscured.

// LCD Cell Resizing

LCD CELL RESIZING
TO ANY ACTIVE AREA.

If the display size you need doesn't exist as a standard product, we make it. Physical LCD cell resizing — the process invented by Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. — produces fully functional active matrix displays at any active area dimension your application requires.

Submit Your Dimensions Browse Catalog

Any Size

Custom Active Area

< 1 Day

Feasibility Review

US-Based

Santa Cruz, CA

6–8 Wks

ARO Lead Time

LCD panel cell resizing process — 6 stage sequence

// Physical LCD cell resizing — proprietary process

// The Process

How LCD Cell Resizing Works

LCD cell resizing produces a genuinely new active area at your specified dimensions — not a software crop, a bezel mask, or an optical illusion. The result is a fully functional TFT LCD panel sized to your exact specification, with the same electrical interface and optical characteristics your design requires.

The process begins with donor panel selection. Engineering identifies a commercial LCD with sufficient active area to yield your target dimensions and compatible electrical and optical characteristics. Feasibility is confirmed within one business day — before any commitment is made.

The result is a fully functional active matrix TFT display at the exact active area your enclosure requires — same electrical interface, same optical performance, same connector configuration. No enclosure redesign. No driver changes. No tooling NRE.

Finished LCD module — production qualified

// Finished production module — cell, backlight, housing

ATI module exploded engineering assembly drawing

// Engineering-designed assembly — in-house design capability

// Submit your active area

No commitment. Engineering responds within 1 business day.

// Process Originator

Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. developed the LCD resizing process. TDS is his family’s company — built on that same technical foundation. That depth of process knowledge does not transfer through a datasheet.

20+

Years of hands-on craft

100+

Custom dimensions produced

No Cost, No Commitment

Engineering reviews every inquiry within 1 business day — at no cost and no commitment.

// Capabilities

What We Can Produce

Any Aspect Ratio

Square, rectangular, wide, ultra-wide — the resizing process is not constrained by standard aspect ratios. Your enclosure geometry drives the specification.

Cell-Only Delivery

Resized LCD cell delivered without backlight or housing for integration into your existing module configuration.

Complete Module

Full module assembly including backlight, driver PCB, housing, and connectors — delivered tested and program-ready.

Catalog or Custom

64 catalog formats available from existing production. Custom dimensions outside catalog are engineered to specification.

Any Resolution

Resolution and pixel pitch are determined by donor panel selection — engineering identifies compatible options for your active area.

Long-Term Supply

Configuration-controlled production with lot traceability for programs requiring ongoing supply over multi-year timelines.

// Markets

Who Uses Custom LCD Resizing

Aerospace & Defense

Cockpit instruments, avionics displays, mission system panels, and ground station HMI requiring non-standard active areas.

Flight Simulation

ATI-format and custom square displays for full-mission simulators, procedural trainers, and part-task trainers. Simulator displays →

Medical Devices

Surgical instrument displays, patient monitoring panels, and diagnostic imaging interfaces at custom dimensions. Medical displays →

Industrial HMI

Control panel displays for industrial automation, process control, and operator interface systems.

Marine & Transit

Ruggedized displays for shipboard systems, transit vehicle panels, and infrastructure control rooms.

Defense Ground Systems

Vehicle-mounted displays, command post HMI, and portable system interfaces for land and naval defense programs.

// Why TDS

Why Engineers Specify TDS for Custom Dimensions

Any Dimension, Any Format

We resize to any active area you specify — square, portrait, landscape, or custom aspect ratio. If the physics permit it, we can produce it. No catalog dependency, no standard-only constraint.

No Minimum Order

One unit to full production. First articles, low-rate initial production, and high-volume programs all supported without MOQ constraints.

Engineer-Direct

Every inquiry is reviewed by the engineering team. No sales intermediary. Feasibility confirmed within one business day.

No Cost, No Commitment

Produced in Santa Cruz, California. No offshore dependencies for defense-sensitive programs. ISO-class controlled fabrication environment.

// Get Started

Submit Your Dimensions

Provide your required active area in millimeters — horizontal and vertical. Include quantity, program application, and any outer envelope constraints. Engineering will confirm feasibility within one business day at no cost.

Browse 64 Catalog Formats → EOL Display Replacement → All Services → Full Contact Form →

Requirement Received

Submit Requirement — Response Within 1 Business Day