Polymer Optics Ltd Presentation Polymer Innovation Network Event 300415

www.polymer-optics.co.uk© Copyright Polymer Optics Automotive Limited 2015. commercial-in-confidence
Polymer Innovation Network @WMG
"Polymers on the Move"
“Making Light Work With Plastics”
30th April 2015

 A leading manufacturer and supplier of injection mould tools, moulded parts and assemblies.
 85,000 sq.ft facility
 Over 100 employees
 Launched in 1965
 Average sales revenue of 6 million
 Global supplier to all industries including major OEM’s and 1st Tier Automotive Customers.
120 HIGHGATE STREET, BIRMINGHAM, B12 OXR
Tel: +44 (0)121 440 1303 - www.barkley.co.uk
 ISO 9001
 ISO 14001
 TS 16949

6 Kiln Ride, Wokingham, Berks, RG40 3JL
Tel : +44 (0)1189 893341 - www.polymer-optics.co.uk
 Polymer Optics Limited (POL) was founded in 1998.
 Over 25 years experience in optical design and plastics optical manufacturing.
 Optical Design AND Manufacturing Consultancy specialising in plastic optics and optical systems
 Advanced experience in wide range of manufacturing processes, process development and secondary processes.
 Aerospace Automotive Industrial White goods Mobile Phones Medical Scientific

Material Refractive Index Heat Capability Clarity Hardness Chemical Resistance
Polystyrene 1.59 80OC Good Fair, brittle V. Poor
Acrylic (PMMA) 1.49 90OC V. good V. good, brittle Fair
Polycarbonate 1.59 120OC Good Poor, good resilience Fair
Cyclic Olefinic Co-polymers (COC) 1.56 100OC V. good Good, some resilience Fair
Clear Polyamides 1.60 120OC Poor, yellow Fair, good resilience Good
Clear Polyesters 1.58 200OC Poor, yellow Fair, good resilience Good
Polysulfones 1.60 180OC Poor, yellow Good, brittle Good
Clear materials development is improving all the time and the previous clear polyamides, polyesters and polysulfone type
materials are becoming more colourless and much better in clarity.
Clear silicone elastomers for optical applications – high clarity, resilience, chemical resistance, no UV degradation.
Optical Materials
Also, injection mouldable PET and PETB materials are starting to offer some useful product opportunities, such as:
high heat deflection temperatures of >220OC
excellent resistance to fluids such as gasoline, motor oil, transmission fluid, hydrocarbons and organic solvents
very good clarity in thick sections.

Nissan Juke LCD Illumination
Original customer design used two injection moulded
white reflectors to try to contain the light in the system
Lightguide
Bottom-reflector
Rear-reflector
Light bleed at top of display and poor contrast
Lightguide
Die-cut Reflector-label
POL re-design uses a die-cut reflective polyester film
to give a more efficient, low cost construction
Light bleed removed and contrast enhanced
For this application, POL used a high clarity, easy-flow polycarbonate to ensure optimum light transmission and enable the
injection moulding filling of the fine clip and LCD location features.

POL has developed the interior illumination system
for the 2014 Nissan Qashqai which draws on POL’s
wide polymer optical product development experience
to introduce some novel product features
 500mm long lightguide illuminated from one end
only, saving cost in the electronics and wiring
harness.
 Laser etched tool surfaces provide precise light
extraction and intensity in areas where required.
 Lightguide is hard coated for abrasion and
chemical resistance against various reagents.
 Design for Assembly (DFA) and Poka Yoke
techniques used to reduce cost and ensure
reliability.
Nissan Qashqai Illumination

Requirements for lightguide polymer:
 High clarity – the lightguide is 500mm long
 High melt flow index – only 3mm cross-section and
gated from one end
 Good resilience – to resist shock, vibration, assembly
 Low cost – to meet automotive target prices
High Flow PMMA resin selected
Requirements for electronic housing polymer:
 Good resilience – to resist shock, vibration, assembly and accommodate
live-hinge design
 High melt flow index – to allow thin sections to support and seal assembly
 Flame retardant – for protection against electronics failure
 Low cost – to meet automotive target prices
Filled Nylon 66 polymer selected
Nissan Qashqai Illumination

Sun Visor Illumination Design
Original customer design using simple
row of LED sources emitting through a
diffuser, which gives the typical hot
spots from each LED
POL design uses a clear PMMA
lightguide, a high reflectivity (>94%)
polymer light-box and a diffuser to get
the required illumination evenness

Automotive Illumination Concept Prototypes
SLA (Stereolithography), SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), FDM (Fusion Deposition Modelling - mechanical parts, housings, etc.
Polyester, epoxy, ABS, Nylon, etc.
SLA to Vacuum Casting - SLA model sealed and polished then used as master for silicone rubber tooling
Parts cast in high clarity polyester resins give 70-80% of production tooled parts performance.
Clear SLA – Clear colourless resins for windows, lightguides and simple lens components
High clarity polyester resins.
Laser Machining - POL also uses high quality polymer raw materials in sheet, block, rod and
film forms to rapid prototype lightguide concepts. These are typically PMMA, ABS, PTFE,
Polyester, etc. to make lightguide, housing and reflector parts.
Using laser cutting and patterning techniques, functional illumination assemblies are made to
demonstrate the light control possible and help agree specifications with the customer prior to
the final product design.

For automotive interior lighting applications, signalling and
many aesthetic illumination design projects, POL has to
ensure the materials are high clarity and colourless.
Many polymer grades have slight colourising tints blended
into them to off-set the effects of material degradation or
act as a material grade indicator.
In many applications these very slight tints do not
significantly affect light transmission, but in long lightguide
sections they can give significant colour bias to the
illumination and make the customer’s colour specification
impossible to achieve.

Thank you

Polymer Optics Ltd Presentation Polymer Innovation Network Event 300415

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Polymer Optics Ltd Presentation Polymer Innovation Network Event 300415