Silicone offers more sustainable options for LED industry

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Innovative manufacturers of lighting systems have discovered that using silicone in LED lighting addresses the challenges related to less light and changing colour temperature

Dharmesh Shah, commercial leader, electronics, Dow Corning

Monday, December 10, 2012: While significant energy saving potential of LED lighting remains a top consideration for manufacturers as well as designers, architects and consultants looking to offer clients more sustainable options, LED lighting comes with its own set of challenges.

The brighter, white LED technology creates heat in the component area (not in the light itself), and this can compromise performance and reliability of the LED light. Heat causes LED lighting products made with traditional materials like epoxy, to yellow with age, producing less light and even changing the colour temperature. With the chip and components exposed to heat, the life of the light declines, resulting in many LED lighting products not being able to deliver on their claims of long lasting, efficient light.

- Advertisement -

But innovative, forward thinking manufacturers of LED lighting systems are discovering that silicone addresses these challenges and offers them the freedom to explore new styles and applications. As new designs call for brighter, hotter and longer lasting LEDs, we’re seeing more and more companies turn to the power of silicone in applications where epoxies or COCs (cyclo olefin copolymers) were once the materials of choice.

Silicone offers better thermal and optical capabilities than traditional organic materials. It is a heat resistant, somewhat rubber-like compound that withstands the elevated operating temperatures and short wave exposures of today’s brighter LED lighting. It can withstand heat better than epoxy, urethane, acrylic or other traditional materials used to fabricate LED based lighting systems. Silicone also has excellent optical stability and transparency, which results in little or no yellowing and greater reliability across the visible spectrum.

Thermal and optical stability are the primary reasons that silicone based technology (used in components of LED lighting systems such as wafers, moulds, sealants, driver protection, optics and thermal interface materials) provides relatively good light transmittance. In fact, ageing tests set at extreme temperatures (150°C) for 200 hour periods show that silicone performs better than traditional, organic materials.

Silicone can also be shaped to protect electronic components and to adhere to a variety of materials or substrates used within the lighting application, and cushion fragile electrical components from outside stress. Silicone absorbs vibration, and with its low moisture absorption, it can also withstand harsh environmental effects.

These properties of silicone, along with its thermal stability, offer lighting companies greater latitude when it comes to new shapes, styles, types or sizes.

Another reason for end users to feel confident is that LED lighting designed with silicone components conforms to industry standards and labelling requirements.

And finally, in the manufacture of optical systems, silicone can help resolve issues such as glare control, colour temperature variations, long term performance, design limitations and more.

The lighting industry has gone through a huge transformation in the past five years. Before the emergence of LED technology, heat was not an issue. So many lighting companies have not yet realised the diverse ways that silicone can expand their design options and enhance performance across the lighting value chain. We believe that the real breakthroughs in expanding LED technology will come about by the use of a wide range of silicone product offerings, innovative game changing products, and close collaboration with leading players in the lighting industry.  

Electronics Bazaar, South Asia’s No.1 Electronics B2B magazine

- Advertisement -

Related Artcles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here
Captcha verification failed!
CAPTCHA user score failed. Please contact us!

Exclusive

“More Chargers Provide Security And Confidence To Customers, Encouraging EV Adoption”

0
With an agenda to transform the EV industry, EarthtronEV has established 250+ charging stations on major highways across India. The company aims to interconnect...

5G RedCap To Transform IoT Module Shipments

0
Over 60% of IoT module shipments will originate from the Asian & Oceania region. Automotive sector is expected to be a significant driver. The...
XR Headset Quest 3, Meta

Global XR Headset Shipments See A Major Decline, Sony Rises

0
Sony grabbed a market share of 24% in 2023 up from 1% in 2022. Bulky form factor, and lag, hinder adoption by serious...

Buzz

Tenstorrent- RISC V cores

MosChip Collaborates With Tenstorrent For Advanced RISC-V Cores

0
Tenstorrent has selected Moschip due to their tape out expertise in design services. India’s MosChip Technologies has announced partnership with computing company Tenstorrent and to...

BYD Aims For 20% Increase In Yearly EV Sales

0
The company is targeting sales of 500,000 vehicles internationally this year, over twice the amount sold last year, and aims to increase that figure...

RRP Electronics To Invest ₹5000 Cr In OSAT and R&D In Maharashtra

0
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar is investing in this semiconductor facility. Such celebrated personalities investing in the sector could be a great asset to the...

Important Sectors

“More Chargers Provide Security And Confidence To Customers, Encouraging EV Adoption”

0
With an agenda to transform the EV industry, EarthtronEV has established 250+ charging stations on major highways across India. The company aims to interconnect...

BYD Aims For 20% Increase In Yearly EV Sales

0
The company is targeting sales of 500,000 vehicles internationally this year, over twice the amount sold last year, and aims to increase that figure...

RRP Electronics To Invest ₹5000 Cr In OSAT and R&D In Maharashtra

0
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar is investing in this semiconductor facility. Such celebrated personalities investing in the sector could be a great asset to the...

Subsidy Cuts Push E2W Makers Towards Budget Models

0
Electric two-wheeler manufacturers face reduced government subsidies and growing competition from established petrol vehicle brands in the upcoming fiscal year. These challenges compel them...

Nissan To Invest In Renault’s Ampere For EV Roadmap

0
The alliance aims to introduce both five-seater and seven-seater models for each brand in India. Japan's Nissan Motor has committed to investing in Renault's electric...

Manufacturing

JLR To Hire 250 Electrical Technicians For Future EVs

0
These new roles, part of a £15 billion investment, are in addition to 300 positions created last year by the British car maker. Jaguar Land...

Altmin India Partners With WMG To Advance Battery Tech

0
Altmin and WMG will collaborate to strengthen their global battery materials supply chain position by optimizing cathode materials and developing diverse cell designs across...

EVs To Cost Less Than Gas Vehicles by 2027, Says Gartner

0
Gartner predicts a faster decline in production costs compared to battery costs, which represent the most significant expense in an electric vehicle, accounting for...
MG

MG Motor To Set Up Battery Assembly Unit At Halol Facility

0
The company plans to investigate battery cell production in collaboration with external partners. Automaker MG Motor India is actively exploring the possibility of assembling and...

Servotech Boosts India’s EV Charging Infrastructure With Manufacturing Facility

0
The new facility is poised to start with an annual production capacity of 24,000 power modules and plan to scale up to 2.4 lakh...