Multi-layer injection molding can result in improved component quality, lower yellowness index and less transmission loss. There are fewer defects such as shrinkage-related sink marks, for example, because a greater proportion of the shrinkage takes place during the premolding step. In addition, lower injection pressures result in lower internal stresses.

Market demand for energy-efficient lighting solutions has been rising rapidly, and LED lighting products are the focus for the next-generation of fixtures in architectural, commercial, industrial, and residential lighting. New materials are playing a pivotal role in the optimization of these LED replacement lamps and outdoor fixtures (Fig. 1), driven by the specific thermal and mechanical needs of LED lighting.

Q-Series platform, a low- to mid-tonnage range featuring double-toggle design and servo-hydraulic operation for fast production using less energy. A Q-170 machine with G3 Mosaic control and DME mold technology using bio-resin will be featured in a mobile phone holder application.

L-Series low-pressure injection molding machinery, capable of running up to 100% regrind flake material. The machine will not be on site but featured in an animation loop.

An additional advantage to PC-based diffuser components is that they can provide a single-piece alternative to multi-component film and lens systems, thereby simplifying lamp assembly.

Custom textures and backlighting for automotive and appliance applications using an M-500 machine cell featuring a Mold-Masters hot runner and Kurz in-mold decoration technology.

If PC is to be used in LED lenses, its optical properties must remain unchanged after long-term exposure to LED light. Testing has been performed on 4-mm thick polycarbonate lenses exposed to commercial LED lighting with an intensity of 46 lumens per square centimeter for over 6000 hours at 90°C. Light transmission, clouding and yellowing values (yellowness index, ASTM E 313) changed little under these conditions.

All-electric Fanuc Roboshot in two applications. The Robo 55, using liquid silicone rubber material and automation, will be in a cell featuring a micro plunger to control a tiny shot for an umbrella part. The Robo 275 will demonstrate a 48-cavity medical vial application using Milacron’s stainless steel water system and new M3 thermocouple technology from Mold-Masters.

M-Powered IIoT remote digital solution that uses built-in analytics of real-time machine data to identify causes of downtime, production inefficiencies, and quality issues.

The M-Series features as standard the largest clamp stroke in the mid-tonnage hybrid range, the company said. Fanuc motors and drives power the platform, which is based on two-platen technology and can be integrated with multiple co-injection technologies to support customer sustainability requirements.

SG75 extrusion system with a new control, new die heads, and advanced single/twin screws and barrels. The package includes all downstream equipment — vacuum tank, pullers, saws, and more. A cobot at the end of the line will perform demonstrations.

Reflector films can also be produced with appropriate additives. Makrofol LM 327 polycarbonate, for example, is just 250-µm thick and easy to thermoform, yet its light reflection is ≥ 97% (based on ASTM E 1331, against a white background). Diffuser and reflector films have great potential for use in the backlight units of LCDs (Fig. 4).

PC grades can also be optimized for flame-retardant characteristics. For example, TerraGlo’s Alba Series of luminaires (Fig. 3) are designed with the driver circuitry and LED board underneath the fixture enclosure. As a result, the fixtures needed an enclosure material that was rated to the flammability standard UL94 5VA. The company selected a 3-mm transparent lens cover made from Makrolon FR7087 polycarbonate. The material has been tested by UL including glow-wire flammability and ignition testing.

When PC is used for heat sinks there is greater design flexibility than can be accomplished using aluminum. Components with non-traditional shapes and more complex geometry can be fabricated. With injection molding, the heat sinks also can be lighter and don't require rework.

In many cases, it can make sense not to use injection molding to make PC components for LED lamps and luminaires, but rather semi-finished products such as thin films or sheets.

A 21.5-inch touch screen control panel with swing arm to improve viewing of the mold area. The panel’s “plus” section enables configurable screen viewing; 8+8 configurable I/Os is standard.

Polycarbonate lenses represent a current area of research and development. At Bayer’s Technical Service Center in Leverkusen, Germany, it is testing collimator lenses (Fig. 6), typically focusing lenses with free-form surfaces and asymmetrical geometries. One target application is automotive LED headlamps using a single-lens design. Today, LED headlamps are comprised of several separate components that are heavier than polycarbonate-based lenses.

A two-cavity mold-pail application with up to 50% recycled core and in-mold labeling automation performed by the M-1070 using Mold-Masters co-injection technology.

The diffusing effect is measured by using a goniophotometer to determine the half-value angle as defined in DIN 58161. This corresponds to the reflecting angle at which the luminance has fallen to half the light intensity passing through in a straight line from the diffuser component. The larger the half-value angle, the higher the light diffusion.

Advanced polycarbonate materials can bring desirable properties to LED lamp and luminaires, including design flexibility, low weight and UV protection. To date, indoor LED troffers, alternative heat sinks and LED street-light covers have been optimized using these materials.

PC grades with high thermal conductivity have been developed to act as heat sinks in LED retrofit lamps. For example, at the Strategies in Light show in February, Bayer MaterialScience demonstrated a functional PAR30 LED replacement lamp with a PC heat sink and PC lens. The TC8060 PC features a thermal conductivity of 22 W/mK. The material is flame-retardant, complying with UL 94 V-0 rating at a thickness of 2.5 mm.

Milacron’s M-Series injection molding machine (IMM) platform will make its North American debut at NPE2024, featuring in two applications at the Ohio-based company’s booth from May 6 to 10 in Orlando, FL.

Solid polycarbonate diffuser sheets are compatible with flat cover designs. In some cases, modification of the color temperature is also possible. For instance, The Makrolon DX warm diffuser sheets convert cool LED light to a warmer light with a transmission of over 70%. The half-value angle is very high at more than 50°, which means that thin diffuser elements can be made. Possible applications of diffuser plates include large covers for LED street lights (Fig. 5), smaller LED indoor lamps and LED billboards or signposts.

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Special grades of PC have a light transmission in the visible-wavelength range just under 90%, but they absorb radiation in the UV as well as mid- and far-IR regions. UV exposure will damage standard grades of PC, resulting in an increasing yellowness that impairs the transparency of lenses and covers for lighting fixtures. To counter this phenomenon, a new infusion process has been developed to concentrate UV protection at the surface of PC products (see sidebar).

In order for polycarbonate to be used as a reflector, it can be colored or light-reflecting pigments can be added to the material. This produces a product that reflects light diffusely.

The increasing adoption of LED lighting creates applications for polycarbonates that were previously the preserve of materials such as glass and metal. For instance, because LEDs emit “cold” light without infrared (IR) radiation, thermal stress on the lamp components is reduced, making it possible to replace glass lenses with those made of transparent thermoplastics, most notably polycarbonate and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). PC and PMMA have already been applied to LED lamps and luminaires, especially as parts of housings or transparent covers.

As PC grades are optimized further for specific applications, increased design flexibility will be brought to the makers of LED replacement lamps and luminaires.

If directed light from the LED source is required, a thin layer of metal can be applied to the surface of an injection-molded component. For example, the Makrolon and Bayblend (a blend of polycarbonate and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer) grades can reflect up to 95% of the incident light in such applications.

To further optimize the injection-molding process, modeling of the multi-layer process makes it possible to calculate the necessary adjustment of temperature-dependent factors that impact component quality, such as warpage, shrinkage, stresses, and creep behavior. The next step will involve the use of simulation to fully optimize PC component quality.

PC and PMMA components can be lighter and thinner than glass, and offer design flexibility. In addition, the components have been cost effectively scaled to production volumes using injection-molding processes. Relative to PMMA, polycarbonate benefits from greater heat resistance, higher impact strength and increased resistance to breakage. PC is also more flame-retardant. Benefits of PMMA over PC include its higher light transmission (> 92%) and better resistance to UV radiation.

Light-directing films can also be made of polycarbonate. The required effect is achieved using a finely impressed grid of lines that also ensures good homogenization of the light. Applications include transparent covers for strip lighting and LED tubes. A newer application for PC films involves light-extraction films for organic LED (OLED) panels.

PC reflectors can be more cost effective than metal reflectors, which often require expensive, time-consuming processes such as vacuum coating or wet-chemical electroplating. As with diffusers, additional cost reduction can result from designing the reflector and adjacent components into a single component.

Geoff Giordano is a tech journalist with more than 30 years’ experience in all facets of publishing. He has reported extensively on the gamut of plastics manufacturing technologies and issues, including 3D printing materials and methods; injection, blow, micro and rotomolding; additives, colorants and nanomodifiers; blown and cast films; packaging; thermoforming; tooling; ancillary equipment; and the circular economy. Contact him at [email protected].