Caucho de silicona líquida óptica:un nuevo accesorio en el moldeado

Ofrecemos muchos procesos de fabricación y materiales para prototipos y piezas de producción. Pero un proceso tiene un material que se separa del resto, goma de silicona líquida óptica (OLSR). OLSR es un material avanzado que tiene muchas propiedades que lo convierten en una opción de material preferida sobre el policarbonato (PC) y el acrílico (PMMA) para iluminación y piezas ópticas. Estos son algunos de los beneficios que ofrece OLSR:

Transmisión de luz

La transmisión de luz se pierde cuando la luz pasa a través de un material. PC, PMMA e incluso el vidrio tendrán pérdida de luz con retención de vidrio de hasta el 95 por ciento, PMMA alrededor del 93 por ciento y PC entre el 88 y el 90 por ciento. Cuando su producto requiere una pieza transparente de PC o PMMA, puede mejorar la transmisión de luz usando OLSR, que retiene hasta un 94 por ciento de transmisión de luz. ¿Qué tal el índice de refracción? OLSR tiene un índice de refracción bajo de 1,42 en comparación con PC y PMMA, que tienen 1,58 y 1,49 respectivamente.

Still another advantage is the non-yellowing factor. Thermoplastics without additives are not UV resistant, which means the parts could yellow and degrade over long exposures to lights and sunlight. OLSR is non-yellowing so it’s great for outdoor fixtures exposed to harsh environments. Heat and Chemical Resistance Because OLSR is durable under temperatures that may be close to exceeding 300°F (150°C), and able to withstand many chemicals that may break down thermoplastics, you can use OLSR in high-power light fixtures, solar power, outdoor fixtures, LED lighting, cleaning fixtures, and many other environments where PC and PMMA may fail.

Injection Molding Resilience

In plastic design, thick and thin parts are not easily achieved without sacrifice. That doesn’t necessarily ring true with OLSR design. You can achieve thick and thin geometries that oftentimes can be as thin as 0.010 in. (0.25mm) and as thick as 2 in. (50mm), all within the same part geometry because you don’t have issues with material flow, sink, or voids.

OLSR is extremely resilient against the molding issue that frequently create problems with thermoplastics, including the ability to create micro details. You also can design in negative draft angles without the need for expensive tooling that normally requires lifters, collapsible cores, and side-actions.

When to Use

As you learn about the benefits of OLSR, the applications where you can use OLSR are numerous:

• Reducing part count in your design with built-in gaskets
• Lenses of all types
• Lightpipes or guides
• Marine and wet environments
• Outdoor and indoor light fixtures
• Low- and high-heat environments
• High impact parts

To learn more about  optical liquid silicone molding and other molding, machining, and 3D printing services at Protolabs, visit protolabs.com . You can also contact us at  [email protected] or 877.479.7541 to speak with one of our knowledgeable applications engineers.