News
Kuraray Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Fumio Ito) has developed LEGENDA, a micropatterned film that can be used in such devices as LED lamps. Since this product can be used to produce a myriad of colors and effects when used in conjunction with conventional point-source LEDs, it holds great potential for applications in fields ranging from sophisticated designer lamps to toys and entertainment devices, which often demand particularly eye-catching visual properties.
1. Features
- To create the film, Kuraray first developed metal stampers using its own proprietary mastering technology. The Company then developed a method of applying a UV-curable resin to the surface of a substrate film with the resultant film being simultaneously cured and stamped with intricate micropatterns to produce a unique light-shaping film.
- Minute patterns featuring uniform hemispheres, tetrahedrons, square pyramids, ellipsoids, cylinders and other shapes can be created with micron-level precision.
- By placing the film in front of an LED, a variety of effects can be achieved as the film refracts, reflects, scatters or diffracts the light, depending on the micropattern used.
- Roller-type stampers are used to allow the continuous manufacture of light-shaping film, increasing productivity.
- It is possible to configure the film into hemispheres and other three-dimensional shapes without distorting the micropatterns.
2. Effects Possible with LEGENDA
Illustrations of diffusion patterns possible with single LED point sources. Film with micropatterned cylinders (left) and tetrahedrons (right)
- By simply switching the film mounted in front of it, the light from the same point-source LED can be diffused or refracted to create linear effects or such geometric patterns as crosses.
- Such effects are possible even when the film is as close as one centimeter from the LED.
- The film allows even white LEDs to produce red, green and blue wavelengths at the same time. Eye-catching displays are also possible with diffusion patterns.
- Because the film can be curved or configured into three-dimensional shapes without distorting the micropatterns, it facilitates the creation of unique and sophisticated lamp designs.
- Because the light that passes through a film does not necessarily appear as an individual point, the number of individual LEDs used in a single lamp can be reduced, which contributes to the more efficient use of electric power while also reducing costs.
- The film is expected to be extremely useful for such applications as LED diffusion plates, given its ability to evenly diffuse light in all directions.
micropatterned film configured into a hemisphere (left) and LED point source covers (right)
3. Possible fields of use and applications
| Specialty lighting: | Exhibitions and ambient lighting at conference halls or inside stores; display lighting for such devices as toys, game consoles and watches; backlighting for signboards; other |
|---|---|
| General lighting | Direct LED backlighting, etc. |
Reference
| Micropattern scale | Height: 3–30 µm; Width: 5–150 µm |
|---|---|
| Pattern area | 300 mm × 500 mm |
| Substrate film | Thickness: 50–250 µm Materials: Acrylic film, PET, polycarbonate, etc. |
| UV-curable resin | Thickness: 10–30 µm; Properties: Easy transcription, malleability/easy unmolding, high hardness, etc . |
Illustration of the continuous roll‐to‐roll manufacturing process
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