Abstract
For many optical applications, for example in automotive manufacture, but also in camera phones, displays or lifestyle products, thermoplastics have overtaken traditional glass as the standard material. In addition to a significant weight reduction, their main advantages are great design flexibility, low production costs and the fact that no post-machining is usually necessary. However, their lower thermal and chemical resistance compared with glass, as well as their lower stability against high-energy radiation such as UV, has to be considered at the design stage. Thermoplastic optics are reaching their limits, particularly through the use of increasingly high-performance light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, the class of materials of the highly transparent liquid silicone rubbers (LSRs) can meet the stringent requirements enabling new areas of application to be opened up for polymer optics.
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