The SILASTIC™ Moldable Silicone allows refraction, reflection and diffusion in many forms.
Publié le 2021-02-11
More freedom in designing your lighting with optical silicones SILASTIC™ Moldable Silicone
High performance injection molded optical silicones for lamps and luminaires :
Imagine your LED lighting options without the limitations of traditional glass and plastic lighting. With the unsurpassed features and performance of SILASTIC™ Modular Silicones (moldable silicone) you can imagine and create the brightest innovations in LED lighting.
Innovative designs currently impossible to achieve with optical plastics and glass are now possible.
Moldable silicones are suitable for a wide range of applications, including secondary lenses, light pipes, micro-lens arrays, light guides and other optical components.
DOW's moldable optical silicones offer good resistance to ultraviolet (UV) exposure, optical yellowing and scratch resistance - compared to polycarbonate (PC) plastics and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Due to their chemical skeleton, the silicones are heat resistant and particularly well suited to handle the increasing temperatures of the new high-power LED lighting systems.
SILASTIC™ Moldable silicone versus other optical solutions :
| SILASTIC™ Moldable Silicone | PC | PMMA | Glass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light transmission | 94% | 88-99% | 93% | 95% |
| Refractive index | 1,42 | 1,58 | 1,49 | 1,52 |
| UV resistance | High | Low | Medium | High |
| Chemical resistance | Medium | Medium | Low | High |
| Service temperature maximum (°C) | >150 | 120 | 90 | |
| Yellowing* | Low | High | High | Low |
| Micro detail replication | High | Low | Medium | Low |
| Ability to mold large and thick parts | High | Low | Low | |
| Minimum thickness** | <0,5 mm | 2 mm | 2 mm | - |
| Draft angle (manufacturing)** | <0° | 1 to 2° | 1 to 2° | - |
| Weight | Low | Medium | Medium | High |
| Flexible material — integration | High | Low | Low | Low |
The benefits of optical silicones at a glance:
- Flexibility and reproducibility to obtain complex optical shapes
- Possibility to add fine surface features
- Physical and optical performance in demanding environments (high humidity and UV exposure ( UL746 C(f1))
- Excellent optical properties without yellowing
- Proven performance with high throughput and less downtime
- Mechanical strength
- Lighter than other traditional materials
Optical performance
SILASTIC injectable optical silicones offer refraction, reflection and diffusion of light in many forms:
- Excellent optical clarity and light transmission combined with resistance to heat, UV and environmental degradation allows these silicones to offer higher light density, low scattering and long term performance.
- The long-term stability of optics made with SILASTIC™ silicones has been proven in accelerated aging tests up to 12,000 hours at 150°C, as well as in tests using artificial sunlight (UV A and B) combined with heat (65°C).
- Highly versatile, these two-component silicone materials allow you to explore more complex designs, while simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing costs. With low viscosity before curing, Dow's optical silicones make injection molding of complex shapes easier than with plastics or glass. Silicones require very little injection pressure compared to thermoplastics.
Depending on the needs of your application, these silicones will allow you to produce flexible and soft or firm and resistant components.
The flexible material is easily demolded, even with complex shapes and undercuts.
Fine details, surface finishes and micro-scale optical structures can be molded, and no secondary polishing will be required.
Discover the characteristics of SILASTIC optical silicones and ask for your sample :
| SILASTIC™ MS-0002 Moldable Silicone | SILASTIC™ MS-1001 Moldable Silicone** | SILASTIC™ MS-1003 Moldable Silicone | SILASTIC™ MS-4002 Moldable Silicone | SILASTIC™ MS-4007 Moldable Silicone | SILASTIC™ MS-2002 Moldable Silicone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Color |
Translucent | Optically clear | Optically clear | Optically clear | Optically clear | Optically reflecting | White clear |
| Viscosity (part A), cP | 148 000 | 20 000 | 40 000 | 52 000 | 50 000 | 28 000 | 695 000 |
| Viscosity (part B), cP | 145 000 | 9 000 | 18 000 | 37 500 | 21 000 | 9 500 | 565 000 |
| Viscosity (mixed*), cP | - | 14 000 | 26 250 | 42 300 | 25 000 | 10 500 | - |
| Working time at 25°C (pot life), hours | 48 | 30 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 |
| Specific gravity, kg/l | 1,14 | 1,05 | 1,07 | 1,05 | 1,08 | 1,08 | 1,44 |
|
Durometer, Shore A (psi) (MPa) |
65 |
87 | 72 | 51 | 84 | 70 | 84 |
|
1 300 |
1 740 | 1 625 | 800 | 1 700 | 1 700 | 1 250 | |
|
9,0 |
12,0 | 11,2 | 5,5 | 11,7 | 11,7 | 8,6 | |
| Elongation, % | 270 | 50 | 80 | 325 | 60 | 100 | 65 |
| Linear CTE, ppm/°C | 280 | 250 | 275 | 325 | 250 | 270 | 210 |
|
Luminous transmittance*** |
75% à 450 mm |
92% à 10 mm |
90% à 10 mm 84% à 25 mm 75% à 50 mm 59% à 100 mm |
92% à 10 mm 89% à 25 mm 85% à 50 mm 77% à 100 mm |
93% à 10 mm 90% à 25 mm 86% à 50 mm 79% à 100 mm |
93% à 10 mm 91% à 25 mm 87% à 50 mm 80% à 100 mm |
N/A |
| Refractive index (nD,589-3 nm) | N/A | 1,418 | 1,413 | 1,409 | 1,417 | 1,413 | N/A |
| Abbe number, a.i. Dielectric strength |
N/A 500 |
48 736 |
52 584 |
51 508 |
52 711 |
51 650 |
N/A 525 |
| Dielectric strength (kV/nm) | 19,7 | 29 | 23 | 20 | 28 | 25,6 | 20,7 |
| Volume resitivity, ohm,cm | - | - | 1.00E+18 | 1.00E+16 | 1.00E+14 | 1.00E+14 | 3.00E+15 |
| Agency listing | UL94 UL94 746A |
UL94 UL94 746A AMECA |
UL94 UL94 746A UL746C(f1)(f8) AMECA |
UL94 UL746A UL 746C(f1)(f8) |
UL94 UL746A UL 746C(f1)(f8) |
UL94 UL746A UL 746C(f1)(f8) |
UL94 UL746A UL 746C(f1)(f8) |
*mix ratio 1:1
**CV grade
*** Weighted total transmittance between 360 and 780 nm according to CIE Colorimetry 15:2004
More information
Need information on moldable silicones or SILASTIC™ ? Contact our technical department on +33 426 680 680 or fill in our Contact form.
In addition you can download LED Lighting product selector guide by DOW :
