Polycarbonate is a plastic polymer belonging to the class of thermoplastics and is widely used in various fields: in construction, in instrumentation and engineering, in the electrical engineering industry, lighting engineering, decoration, furniture production, packaging production, etc.
Properties of polycarbonate in application to lighting equipment:
Increased impact resistance at low specific weight (ten times higher resistance to shock effects of diffusers from polycarbonate compared with diffusers from other polymeric materials significantly increases the degree of protection, reliability and longevity of luminaires, luminaires with polycarbonate diffusers can be used in places of increased concentrations of people in transport and in the metro, in underground passages, on the street - where there is a great danger of accidental or deliberate damage to light devices).
good optical properties (high transparency and uniform dispersion).
high thermal insulation properties.
high sound-proof properties.
high electrical insulation properties.
moisture resistance.
wide temperature range of operation (the temperature range of operation of polycarbonate products is in the range from -50 to +120 degrees Celsius)
fire resistance, which is provided by the introduction of special additives of fire retardants (the degree of fire safety of diffusers from polycarbonate can vary up to the category of non-combustible materials).
resistance to UV radiation, which is provided by the introduction of UV stabilizers (the use of UV stabilized polycarbonate for diffusers ensures their high resistance to ultraviolet rays, protecting the lens material from degradation: yellowing and reducing strength properties, the use of diffusers from UV stabilized polycarbonate increases lifetime of the luminaire, provides a long-term preservation of its aesthetic appeal, and also allows the use of
durability.
simplicity of mechanical processing and installation (the possibility of gluing and welding), which together makes the use of polycarbonate very cost-effective.
The combination of these advantages of polycarbonate diffusers ensures their growing popularity in the Russian market of lighting equipment, especially in connection with the tightening of the requirements for the reliability and safety of light devices. Luminaires with polycarbonate diffusers in comparison with similar lamps using diffusers from other thermoplastic materials have much wider possibilities of application, including all types of transport and filling stations.