Company sees accelerating demand for next-generation silicones to support application development and expanding production among global customers.
Exploded LED lampAs the adoption and production of LED illumination rapidly accelerates, lighting manufacturers worldwide are seeking new and innovative materials to push LED design boundaries, improve product reliability and help optimize manufacturing speed. These converging trends are driving increasing demand for Dow Corning’s uniquely broad portfolio of advanced silicone solutions for LED lamp and luminaire design, assembly and protection. A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning will showcase its advanced material portfolio and expertise at two key industry events this month.
First, Irina Bolsacova, global marketing leader, Next-Generation Lighting at Dow Corning, will deliver a presentation at the sixth edition of the ForumLED congress, held at the Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, from Oct. 14-15. Her presentation, titled New LED Design Concepts Enabled by Optical Silicones, will describe the design of several inspired, real-world LED lighting applications made possible only through the use of high-performance Dow Corning® Moldable Optical Silicones. Bolsacova’s presentation at ForumLED is part of its Emerging Production Technologies session and begins at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
From Oct. 21-23, Dow Corning will then highlight its portfolio of advanced silicones for LED lighting design, assembly and protection at Strategies in Light Europe 2014 (Booth# C16), held at the M.O.C. Event Center in Munich, Germany. These advanced technologies provide multiple options for enhancing the performance and reliability of LED lamps and luminaires to help lighting manufacturers worldwide simplify production and improve the value of their designs.
Dow Corning’s portfolio of advanced silicone products for LED design, assembly and protection encompass:
Adhesives and sealants offering flexible, yet strong bonds that can withstand the increasing temperatures in today’s LED lighting, and ensure that seals and bonds perform reliably over the expected lifetime of the next generation of LED lamp and luminaires
Encapsulants providing durable protection of complex electronic architectures within LED lighting to ensure they deliver long-lasting performance despite exposure to moisture, contamination and mechanical stress caused by thermal cycling
Conformal coatings that deliver proven protection of delicate lighting electronics against damaging moisture, dust, chemicals and other adverse environmental factors to support long-lasting LED performance under all conditions
Thermal interface materials ranging from silicone adhesives and compounds to dispensable thermal pads that help enhance production of complex LED lamp and luminaire designs, and deliver excellent thermal management to handle the increasingly high internal temperatures of today’s LEDs
As part of Dow Corning’s commitment to formulating materials that support the reliability, durability, safety and, ultimately adoption of new LED designs, the company has worked closely with Underwriters Laboratories (UL) on behalf of customers to ensure many of its silicone solutions for LED lighting receive UL recognition. This includes relative temperature index (RTI) testing to ensure its products will maintain at least 50 percent of their expected performance after accelerated aging. RTI is becoming an important factor in the selection of new materials during the design of LED devices.
“The global LED lighting market is growing at an amazing pace and it is no longer business as usual for manufacturers who hope to grow in this new and fiercely competitive landscape,” said Bolsacova. “As LED lighting applications grow in number and severity, our customers are seeking the most advanced materials available to streamline production, enhance performance and improve product reliability and value. While this fast-changing market has introduced new growth opportunities for Dow Corning’s assembly and protection solutions, our leading-edge silicone technologies are also enabling breakthrough new opportunities for LED designers and manufacturers around the globe to tackle these emerging challenges.”
The benefits of Dow Corning’s portfolio of assembly and protection silicone solutions are evident in a growing number of commercial LED developments and applications. Recent testing and validation by Cree, a market leader in LED lighting, confirmed several of Dow Corning’s silicone coatings, encapsulants and adhesives met Cree’s stringent chemical testing protocol for materials used in its industry-leading XLamp® lighting products.
“Cree’s recognition not only underscored Dow Corning’s collaborative approach to customer innovation, it further underscored that our advanced silicone solutions are meeting the rising standards for next-generation LED lighting developed by industry partners like Cree,” Bolsacova said.