Thermally Conductive Plastics by Bayer MaterialScience for LED Heat Sinks Reduce Lighting Costs, Increase Design Freedom

Orlando, FL, May 29, 2014 --(PR.com)-- The LED lighting market is continuing to grow with energy-efficient LED technology poised to become a mainstay in residential and commercial lighting. A challenge the industry must overcome is the high price of LED lighting, especially for incandescent replacements, which remains a barrier for mass adoption. Complicated assembly, made more difficult by the conventional materials available, is a significant contributor to this higher cost. To mitigate this problem, LED manufacturers are looking for better material solutions to help streamline the assembly process.

Bayer MaterialScience LLC developed thermally conductive Makrolon® TC8030 polycarbonate to replace aluminum in heat sinks, thereby reducing assembly steps. Thermally conductive polycarbonate can reduce cost per unit in applications, such as multi-faceted reflector (MR) or parabolic aluminized reflector lamp (PAR) configurations.

Nicolas Sunderland, senior scientist; Jim Lorenzo, principal engineer; and Terry G. Davis, principal engineer, all of Bayer MaterialScience LLC, presented “Novel Polycarbonate Heat Sinks for Efficient Thermal Management,” as part of the LED Packaging session (C3) during ITherm 2014 at 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 28.

Dr. Sunderland discussed simulations and tests conducted to assess the thermal properties of polycarbonate replacement materials when compared to aluminum in LED heat sinks. The findings concluded that the thermally conductive Makrolon® TC8030 polycarbonate can successfully replace aluminum as a heat sink material, and offer a solid value proposition in reducing assembly cost and creating shapes and features that are not possible with aluminum.

About Bayer MaterialScience LLC:
Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with approximately 14,300 employees at 30 production sites around the world and 2013 sales of 11.2 billion euros. Bayer MaterialScience, a Bayer Group company, manufactures high-tech polymer materials and develops innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Sustainability is central to Bayer MaterialScience LLC’s business and is based around the key areas of innovation, product stewardship, social responsibility and respect for the environment.