PITTSBURGH -- Lighting designers and manufacturers are always looking for the next bright idea. But first, they need the right materials to bring their products from concept to reality. Polycarbonate resins and blends from Covestro offer excellent light transmission, tailored hiding-power effects and optimized processability for a variety of LED components, such as lenses, optics, diffusers, reflective surfaces, heat sinks and housings.
At LIGHTFAIR International 2019, May 21-23 in Philadelphia, Covestro will demonstrate how its focused offering of materials and technical services help meet design and performance requirements for LED applications. From thermally conductive grades to materials optimized specifically for LED optics, Covestro is a one-stop shop for OEMs seeking advanced materials for advanced applications. Here’s a closer look.
Keeping it cool
Thermal management plays a key role in the long-term performance of LED lamps and luminaires. To dissipate heat, Covestro produces a wide range of thermally conductive (TC) polycarbonate grades. These materials offer a high level of design freedom, are lighter than metals and can lower costs when integrating functionalities for metal heat sink replacement.
With a thermal conductivity of 8 W/m•K (ASTM method), Makrolon® TC8010 polycarbonate is appropriate for use in heat sinks. The company’s Makrolon® TC8030 polycarbonate offers increased thermal conductivity of 14 W/m•K. Both materials have a UL 94 flame class of V-0 at 2.0 mm with a UL746C f1 listing.
Featuring a similar thermal conductivity to these grades, Makrolon® TC611 polycarbonate offers improved flow for easier processing to fill thin-wall parts. Furthermore, Makrolon® TC110 polycarbonate is electrically insulating and can be processed by injection molding or extrusion.
Increased light transmission and stability
Lenses and secondary optics benefit from the company’s portfolio of Makrolon® LED polycarbonate grades, including Makrolon® LED2643. These ultraviolet (UV)-stabilized materials offer improved retention of optical properties after heat, UV and LED exposure when compared to standard grades. Additionally, Makrolon® LED5102 polycarbonate features the highest light transmission and provides the best efficacy (lumen per watt) in lamp and luminaire optics.
Spotlight on LED applications
Covestro will showcase several end-use applications that rely on its materials. For example, SLP Lighting utilized Makrolon® TC8030 polycarbonate for its CircLED™ high bay heat sink. This lightweight material offers strong heat-transferring capability, enabling the design to maintain an acceptable steady state temperature. Additionally, impact-resistant Makrolon® ET3113 is used in a shop lamp lens, providing LED source blocking and efficient light diffusion.
LIGHTFAIR attendees are invited to visit the Covestro booth (#563) to check out these applications and learn about the company’s broad portfolio of materials and technologies for lighting products.
About Covestro LLC: Covestro LLC is one of the leading producers of high-performance polymers in North America and is part of the global Covestro business, which is among the world’s largest polymer companies with 2018 sales of EUR 14.6 billion. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, electrical and electronics, and healthcare industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 16,800 people at the end of 2018.
Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro’s public reports which are available on the Covestro website at www.covestro.com. Covestro assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
Makrolon® is a registered trademark of the Covestro group.
Contact:
Covestro - Kristine Heilman
