Dec. 06, 2023
Silicon lenses are becoming increasingly popular due to their unique properties and advantages over traditional glass and plastic lenses. As a leading manufacturer of silicon lenses, we will discuss the pros and cons of silicon lenses to help you make an informed decision.
Silicon lenses have a light transmittance of up to 94%, which greatly reduces color distortion, reflectivity, and clarity issues caused by poor transparency.
Unlike PC and PMMA lenses, silicon lenses are extremely resistant to heat, light sources, and ultraviolet radiation. They do not turn yellow and maintain crystal-like transparency even under long-term load.
Silicon lenses have good thermal stability and can maintain long-lasting elasticity at low temperatures without using plasticizers. They can be used at -40~200°C for a long time, maintaining dimensional stability, and having excellent mechanical and optical properties.
Silicon lenses are made of optical silicone material that is a thermosetting material, which means there is no significant change after heating after molding. The molding is thermal reaction molding, and the shrinkage during the molding process is balanced.
Silicon elastomer has a low density at 1.05 to 1.08, making silicon lenses much lighter than glass parts of the same size. They have a slightly lower density than PC and PMMA, which reduces the weight-to-volume ratio of the finished product under certain conditions of guaranteed function.
Wacker optical silicone has a low degree of dispersion, and high-definition imaging effects can be obtained.
Residual stress inside molded products can cause lens deformation and cracking, leading to birefringence and affecting optical performance. This occurs during the molding process of PC and PMMA thermoplastic compounds but is not present in two-component optical silicone lens due to the absence of cross-linking reactions.
The cost of raw material is high, for imported optical liquid silicone, the material price is about USD38~USD55/KG, while for optical liquid silicone material that made in China, it is about USD23~USD27.5/KG. Therefore the product unit price will be almost 1.5~3 times higher than PC or PMMA lenses.
The precision of LSR injection molding is higher compared to plastic injection molding, despite the latter having a longer history. However, the cost of silicon lens has increased due to the immaturity of existing silicone lens injection molding technology.
In conclusion, silicon lenses offer numerous advantages over traditional glass and plastic lenses. However, their high cost and immature injection molding technology may be a barrier to their widespread adoption. It is important to carefully consider your needs and budget before choosing a lens material for your application. If you're looking for a trusted and reliable led lighting silicon lenses manufacturer, Contact YEJIA for more details.
