Dow Technical Presentation: Optical Silicones Advance New LED Applications

Dow is sharing a technical presentation about how its optical silicones are advancing new LED lighting applications. This information-packed resource begins by examining the benefits of using optical silicones for LED lighting, a market that will surpass $125 billion by 2027. The presentation also covers new silicone-enabled lighting applications and describes the processing and design benefits of these silicone elastomers.

Dow SILASTIC™ Moldable Optical Silicones provide high clarity, stability, and impact resistance along with consistent performance and design flexibility. These advanced materials can withstand harsh environments and have ratings from Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Importantly, SILASTIC™ Moldable Optical Silicones support liquid injection molding for lenses, light guides, diffusers, reflectors, and more.

Today, SILASTIC™ Moldable Optical Silicones are enabling new applications such as adaptive drive beam (ADB) lenses in automobiles. SILASTIC™ MS-4007, a joint winner of the 2019 R&D Top 100 award, is also used in sport stadium lighting. SILASTIC™ MS-1003, another moldable Dow material, was used by Philips Lighting to design a UV purification system for drinking water.

Moldable optical silicones have good flow for complex part geometries and offer excellent reproduction of mold features. They can also replicate micro-surface features, create unique lighting effects, and help integrate optics with sealing. Their excellent reflectivity is important because it influences the light output performance of LED lighting fixtures.