electrical and electronic | Innovation
powders layer by layer. Various specifically-developed DDM powders are available for the process. Production of LEDs with integral heat sinks and
Above: Stainless steel fibres go into electrically conductive long fibre filled compounds at RTP Company
Integration technology At the Fakuma exhibition in Friedrichshafen, Germany, last year, PolyOne presented an update to the new manufacturing technology it highlighted during Fakuma 2014 for production of 3D-MIDs (three dimensional moulded interconnect devices) with integral heat sinks. PolyOne collaborated on the project with Plasma Innovations, which developed a plasma treatment process that creates circuitry without the need for galvanization prior to metallization, as well as with LPKF, a specialist in equipment for creating circuits on injection moulded parts using laser structuring. PolyOne says the technology has proven success-
Right: Individual production
stages in the Plasma
Innovations’ Digital Direct Metallization process for creation of
metallic circuits on polymer substrates,
developed with PolyOne
ful in production of LED lighting heat sinks with integrated electrical circuitry, largely due to the thermally conduc- tive properties of its Therma-Tech thermally conductive compounds. It says the concept could prove an alternative to complex printed circuit boards and separate heat sinks currently used in these applications. Plasma Innovations expects first commer- cial use of the process to begin around the end of this year. Plasma Innovations’ Digital Direct
Metallization (DDM, previously known as Plasmacoat 3D) makes use of CAD data to enable the metallization of electric circuits and conductors directly inline and on the surfaces of various materials. This means that any changes to circuitry require modifica- tions only to software. Instead of wet chemical or electro plating process- es, DDM builds the electric circuits with a laser and plasma-activated metal
74 COMPOUNDING WORLD | August 2016
circuitry involves several steps: injection moulding of the part, screen printing of a mask, laser structuring of the pattern to be metallized for the circuitry, plasma coating of the metal, cleaning, and finally attachment of the LED chips using surface mount technology. Compared with traditional processes, total system cost can be as much as 30% less expensive, it is claimed. According to consultant Strategies Unlimited, the LED luminaire market is likely to grow at around 12% annually through to at least 2018. PolyOne believes that producers in this fast growing market can obtain massive cost savings by switching to engineering plastics for lenses (already well under way), reflectors, housings and heat sinks (see Figure 1).
LED developments Covestro, the company previously known as Bayer MaterialScience, notes that lighting currently accounts for around 15% of the world’s energy consumption and 5% of greenhouse gas emissions. It quotes estimates from the UNEP Global Efficient Lighting Forum that indicate switching to energy-efficient lighting could reduce this worldwide energy requirement by more than one thousand terawatt hours (TWh) each
year, thus reducing the associated CO2 emissions by roughly 530m tonnes.
The company has established a wide and diverse range of polycarbonate-based products (sheet and film as well as injection moulding compounds) for energy-efficient LED lighting. It is pitching its Makrolon
products at lenses and optics, light guides, diffusers, reflectors, cooling
elements and housings. “Despite some improvement with respect to the efficiency of LEDs, the lamps have still not yet reached the level of efficiency theoretically possible because a portion of the energy is given off in the form of heat,” Covestro says. “This heat must be dissipated via cooling
elements in order to ensure a high light yield and
long service life of the lamps.” The company’s thermally conductive Makrolon TC8030 grade is pitched at these applications. It has thermal conductivity similar to that of aluminium, but its lower density suits
it to lighter-weight LED lighting solutions. Covestro says more thermally
www.compoundingworld.com
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