Lighting
Bayer MaterialScience has a long and successful history as a supplier to the lighting and optics industry. Transparent and translucent grades of Makrofol® brand polycarbonate film, and Bayfol® brand polycarbonate blend films are particularly popular, trending toward new grades for special light management needs. They are used in the manufacture of conventional applications such as designer lampshades and ceiling lamps, and in addition also have a promising future in new light management technologies, such as diffuser films in liquid crystal displays (LCD)and light extraction films in organic light-emitting diodes (LED).
Performance Summary
New grades of Makrofol® films are tailor-made for light management applications. The range includes light-scattering, light-extracting, and light-reflecting films in various finishes and thicknesses. The grades with light-scattering agent are engineered to display a smooth homogenous illumination of the front side of a backlight device even if a point source light is applied. These grades offer the engineer and designer various combinations of transmission and diffusion that enable custom applications.
Light-extracting grades are designed to improve the efficiency of solid state lighting devices by helping to achieve maximum light output and minimal photon entrapment.
Light-reflecting film is an opaque white polycarbonate film especially designed for LCD and LED backlight applications. The grade is engineered for the highest reflectance.
Additional Makrofol® grades offer dazzle-free and scratch resistant surfaces that feature even illumination over a light surface area from a point light source. Other grades offer the light-scattering effect by the use of glass fibers and provide exceptionally high dimensional stability and strength.
Makrofol® grades are printable and formable. Emerging commercial applications demonstrate the film to be suitable for printing conductive ink for use in circuits on capacitive touch sensor switches for lighting devices and other applications. The applications may be three-dimensional and both decorative and functional in design. A primary manufacturing method used to fabricate components is to use a compatible resin to back-injection mold behind the film in process known as film insert molding. If a transparent or translucent film is used, components can be backlit for either day or night design. Design trends are towards films that help create a pleasant, personalized ambience using lighting, tactile effects and intelligent functions where light management, and scratch, chemical and weathering resistance are important criteria for the applications.
Polycarbonate Film Showcase for Lighting
We at Bayer proudly supply our films to the lighting industry. Transparent and translucent grades of Makrofol® and Bayfol® are particularly popular - above all special light-diffusing grades. They are used to make items such as lampshades and ceiling fixtures. Download PDF »
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For more information, please contact us using our online form, the sales or new business development representative for your area or call us at:
| Telephone: | 413.665.7016 |
| Fax: | 413.665.6000 |
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