Learn about the LED Lens Manufacturing Process
Optics design is an integral part within the field of LED light development. LED, the full form of which is Light-Emitting Diode, emits light by electronic excitation rather than heat generation unlike the normal light bulbs. Diodes are electrical valves that allow electrical current to flow in only one direction. Optical engineers produce a variety of LED optics for shops, offices, industrial plants and street lighting.
There are different optics shapes available for selection depending on particular usage, including circular, square and linear. All LED optical products are made of high-quality materials such as PMMA, silicone, and are available with different radiation angles - narrow/broad beam, asymmetrical or combinations.
Desirable optical properties such as color, brightness, and efficiency must be optimized without an unreasonable electrical or physical design. These properties are affected by the size of the diode, the exact semiconductor materials used to make it, the thickness of the diode layers, and the type and amount of impurities used in the semiconductor.
Lens Manufacturing Process
LED optical products are designed after identifying the purpose of use. The designer selects the optical materials, production-compliant optics design, suitable tooling solutions and the appropriate method for manufacturing the final product. Usually, injection-molding method is used by the optical manufacturers.
For LED lens manufacturing, silicone is mostly used as a raw material. LEDs of latest generation, including High Brightness LEDs and COB LEDs, achieve very high temperatures which could put pressure on the conventional polymers such as PMMI, PMMA, and PC. It is because of this that silicone is used to create high-end LED products.
Silicone is an isotropic material that provides LED optics with high flexibility which allows an easy fit as well as a perfect compensation for the construction mechanical tolerances typical of the final application.
Silicone is mostly preferred because of its high temperature resistance, strong heat aging resistance and high chemical resistance as well as ultraviolet (UV) stability, purity, clarity, and stable mechanical properties at a temperature ranging from 40°C to 200°C.
Engineers also use new optical techniques that allow sharpening the extreme angles and elaborate specific geometries developed in order to make the innovative lenses able to achieve a superior optical refractive index, while delivering best optical performance.
LEDs manufactured using silicone considerably reduces the manufacturing process time than lens made of a conventional polymer (PMMA, PMMI or PC). Reduced manufacturing time helps to reduce the production costs and also saves energy. However, it requires a great deal of technical expertise and skill for implementing this procedure. Also, when a lens is considerably large, the transformation process becomes much more complicated. Great care and technical mastery are needed either when the silicone is injected or when the molded part is removed from the mold during the de-molding process.
Injection molding production process forms the basis for manufacturing different optical components including LED. Most optical products are manufactured using either poly (methyl) methacrylate (PMMA) or polycarbonate (PC). An injection molding machine, raw material, and a mold is used for injection molding. The raw materials are melted in the injection molding machine and then injected into the mold, where it cools and solidifies into the final part.
After the product is manufactured, it is sent for quality inspection where it goes through rigorous testing to ensure high quality standard is maintained at all times. After assuming the products pass through quality testing, final assembly of the individual pre-tested components are performed using advanced tooling solutions then concludes the process.
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