Four companies are known as top Modified PC Compound Manufacturers for optical parts: Covestro, SABIC, Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics, and SELON. These companies make special polycarbonate compounds for optical uses. Covestro offers grades with high clarity, strong impact resistance, and thermal stability. SABIC's LEXAN™ resins give UV resistance and steady optical performance. Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics provides compounds with low birefringence. SELON delivers optical-grade modified PC compounds for tough environments. Each maker ensures high transparency and precise performance. Their materials are used in automotive lighting, LED covers, and display parts. Covestro focuses on automotive and lighting optics. SABIC aims at electronics and EV parts. Mitsubishi specializes in precision lenses. SELON offers flexible solutions. All four suppliers put money into R&D to make materials better.
Key Takeaways
Covestro, SABIC, Mitsubishi, and SELON are the top companies in the market for optical-grade modified PC compounds.
Each company gives different good things: Covestro for clearness, SABIC for UV protection, Mitsubishi for low birefringence, and SELON for harsh places.
These materials are used in car lights, LED covers, and display parts.
All four companies spend money on research to improve transparency and performance.
Pick these suppliers for dependable optical parts that meet tough standards.
Covestro: Leading Modified PC Compound Manufacturer
Key Compounds for Optical Components
Covestro is seen as a top Modified PC Compound Manufacturer. Its products are made for clear optics and long-lasting use. The Makrolon® line has grades made for light guides and lenses. Makrolon PC LED2245 is an optical grade polycarbonate granule. It gives transparency and high light transmission for light guides and lenses. Makrolon 2805 also works for LED optical lenses and optical components. This grade has 88% light transmission, UL 94 V-2 flame retardancy, and strong impact strength with a Charpy notched impact value of 70 kJ/m². Processors must keep things very clean to stop dust contamination. They also need a steady mold temperature of 100–120°C for the right surface gloss.
Covestro adds specialty and sustainable choices to its optical range. The Lupoy® Rod – Transparent grade gives crystal clarity and impact toughness for optical work. The Lupoy® Impact-Modified Specialty Compound resists breaks at –50 °C for safety and consumer products. Covestro also started the RE series, a polycarbonate line made from biowaste and bioresidues. This drop-in material matches fossil-based performance. It also meets tough optical and outdoor needs. Apec® 2045 brings biocompatible, high-heat polycarbonate to the mix. It makes transparent parts with high optical clarity and can handle sterilization up to 180°C.
Optical Applications and Advantages
Covestro's optical compounds are used in lighting and display markets. In 2018, the company reached a milestone with Makrolon LED PC lenses for optical and lighting uses. These materials use non-halogenated flame retardant systems that reach UL94 V-0 at 0.75mm–1.5mm. Light transmittance is over 88%, and notched Izod impact resistance is over 600 J/m. Cone calorimeter testing shows lower heat release rates and less smoke density, which adds safety value.
These benefits help LED covers, automotive lighting lenses, and display components. High clarity keeps light output strong across long light guides. Impact resistance protects thin lenses in daily use. Thermal stability keeps shape and optical performance under heat. Apec® 2045 also serves respiratory masks and medical devices that need molded-in seals and repeated sterilization. Covestro pairs these properties with ongoing research, so designers get reliable optical materials for demanding environments.
SABIC: Modified PC Compounds for Optical Use
Key Compounds for Optical Components
SABIC is a big Modified PC Compound Manufacturer for the optics business. Its LEXAN™ and SABIC® polycarbonate resins give strong impact resistance, clearness, UV protection, and heat stability. These base materials let up to 90% of light pass through. They also offer great impact strength, stable shape, and very good clearness.
The LEXAN™ lineup has a few grades for optical work. LEXAN™ LS2 has medium viscosity for steady flow and good mechanical features. It comes with UV stabilization and holds an AMECA listing. LEXAN™ XLS1110 gives very high light pass-through with a melt volume rate of 35. It also brings great flow and color steadiness. LEXAN™ LS1 uses low viscosity with a melt flow rate of 18. LEXAN™ LSHF mixes UV and heat stabilization with a mold release agent. All four grades show up on the AMECA list for car lighting safety.
Optical Applications and Advantages
SABIC's optical compounds work in tough lighting and energy settings. LEXAN™ resins power lighting systems, smart panels, and ADAS sensor covers. LNP™/LEXAN™ SLX resins handle front and back panel housings, display screen covers, and light indicator rings. These grades fight weather and UV while keeping a high-gloss piano black finish. LNP™/LEXAN™ EXL resins back charging connectors and unit bases.
EV battery parts also count on these materials. LEXAN™ copolymers bring high impact strength, weather resistance, and chemical resistance to battery parts. LNP™/LEXAN™ EXL resins use a PC-siloxane copolymer for wireless charging grounding assemblies. This copolymer fights weather and chemicals. Outdoor fixtures, street lighting, and architectural glazing gain from the same weather resistance and impact strength. Light diffusers get even light spread from these clear grades. SABIC limits its optical line to clear colors for vehicle parts. This focus keeps optical clearness and UV stability steady across every use.
Mitsubishi: Modified PC Compounds for Optics
Key Compounds for Optical Components
Mitsubishi Engineering‑Plastics builds its optical line with the Iupilon® polycarbonate family. These grades are for lenses, light pipes, and clear covers that need high clarity. The company sells Iupilon as a Modified PC Compound Manufacturer solution for precision optics. The material is used in many optical and light‑guide applications.
Two grades show the range. The Iupilon® PC Sheet – Architectural grade reaches 90% light transmittance. It also has a heat deflection temperature of 130 °C. This grade offers great clarity, high durability, and design freedom. The Iupilon® H‑3000 High Heat PC gives transmittance above 92%. Its heat deflection temperature is 163 °C at 0.45 MPa. This grade has little color shift at high heat, low birefringence, good shape stability, and high purity.
Grade | Light Transmittance | Heat Deflection Temp | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
Iupilon® PC Sheet – Architectural | 90% | 130 °C | Excellent clarity; high durability; design freedom |
Iupilon® H-3000 High Heat PC | >92% | 163 °C (HDT >160 °C at 0.45 MPa) | Minimal color shift at elevated temperatures; low birefringence; excellent dimensional stability; high purity |
IUPILON™ Polycarbonates give good heat stability and UV protection. This helps them last a long time. The material comes in many grades, such as flame‑retardant, medical, and optical‑quality grades.
Optical Applications and Advantages
Low birefringence sets Mitsubishi’s optical grades apart from normal PC. This property cuts down optical distortion for clear images. Precision moldability allows for accurate optical part making. AR coating compatibility helps with anti‑reflective performance. Together, these traits work for camera lenses, sensor covers, and light guides that need sharp, clear output.
An Iupilon optical grade may be great for controlling light. But it still needs checking for the final housing, outdoor use, and certificates. The brand helps narrow down choices, but the grade itself decides the final product. Designers should test each option against the whole application before choosing a specification.
SELON and Other Modified PC Compound Manufacturers
SELON's Optical-Grade Modified PC Compounds
SELON is the main brand of Super Dragon Engineering Plastics Co., Ltd. The company studies, creates, makes, and sells high-tech modified plastics. Its range includes modified common plastics, modified engineering plastics, modified special engineering plastics, and functional polymer materials. SELON gives optical-grade modified PC compounds for lights and screens. These materials offer clarity and strength for tough optical jobs.
Key product lines are Polysikon Paint-free Material, Polysailing Automotive and Robot Materials, Polysesle Electronic and Electrical Materials, and Polysylene Thermoplastic Elastomer Materials. Designers use them to make parts lighter, handle heat, and replace metal. EV battery parts and car engine parts benefit from these compounds. Sustainability guides the company's goal. SELON aims to peak carbon by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050. The company improves green factories and supply chains through new ideas. A global support team gives help before and after sales. SELON shows new products at shows like the High-Performance Materials Expo Tokyo 2026.
UNINKO and FLYCHEM Offerings
UNINKO makes modified PC compounds that are tough, heat-resistant, and flame-retardant. The materials resist cracking well, have high gloss, and can be plated. These grades show their range:
Grade | Toughness | Heat Resistance | Flame Retardant |
|---|---|---|---|
UPA4020G30F | Good balance of toughness and stiffness (PC/ABS+30%GF) | Heat resistance from PC/ABS base | Yes — UL94 V0, flame retardant |
UEP40G10F | Good flow and stable shape (PC+10%GF) | Heat resistance from PC base | Yes — UL94 V0, flame retardant |
UEP40LD | Good mechanical traits (light diffusion PC) | Heat resistance from PC base | Yes — flame retardant |
These compounds work for home appliances, electronics, and car parts. FLYCHEM gives modified polycarbonate compounds for tough conditions. These materials keep working where standard grades fail. Both companies add useful options to the optical materials market. Designers have more choices to pick the right material for each job.
Covestro, SABIC, Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics, and SELON are the top suppliers of optical components. Each company brings different strengths to the optical supply chain. Covestro gives high clarity and thermal stability. SABIC provides UV resistance and impact strength. Mitsubishi offers low birefringence for precision lenses. SELON supplies optical-grade compounds for tough environments. These four companies drive new ideas in automotive lighting, LED covers, and display parts.
Their materials shape how designers build reliable optical products. Each Modified PC Compound Manufacturer puts money into research to improve transparency and performance. Buyers who want optical components should look to these four names. Covestro, SABIC, Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics, and SELON remain the answer for quality optical materials.
FAQ
What makes a modified PC compound optical-grade?
Optical-grade PC compounds let at least 88% of light pass through. They have low birefringence, so images stay sharp with little distortion. High purity and heat stability keep them working well in light guides, lenses, and display covers.
Why is mold temperature important for making optical PC lenses?
Covestro suggests keeping the mold at a steady 100–120°C for optical PC parts. This range gives the right surface gloss and stops dust from getting in. Clean processing keeps the high clarity these uses need.
Which company makes PC with the highest light transmission?
Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics sells Iupilon H-3000, which passes over 92% of light. SABIC's LEXAN™ resins let up to 90% through. Both grades work for precision optics where the most brightness counts.
How do flame retardant features help optical parts?
Covestro's Makrolon LED grades reach UL94 V-0 at 0.75mm to 1.5mm wall thickness. These materials keep over 88% light transmission while also being fire safe. That mix works well for LED covers and car lighting lenses.
What green options are there for optical PC compounds?
Covestro has the RE series, which is made from biowaste and bioresidues. SELON plans to peak carbon by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050. These materials perform as well as fossil-based ones but cut down environmental harm.
