Panacol will be presenting new optical resins for imprint and optical bonding applications at the SPIE Photonics West trade fair in San Francisco, CA, USA, from 28 to 30 January 2025. These new adhesives are typically used for light carpets in the automotive industry, for sensors in wearables or to generate structured light in projectors or time-of-flight sensor applications for automotive and consumer products.
Panacol specialises in the formulation of resins for replicating refractive lenses and diffractive optical elements (DOEs). These materials are highly suitable for micro- and nano-imprint lithography or for wafer-level optics. These materials are not only suitable for the commonly used glass wafers, but the new generation of materials also exhibits exceptional adhesion to novel polymer substrates such as optical PET, PC or COP. After application and imprint, these materials cure quickly under UV light to form a precise and durable structure. The optical properties are specifically tailored to the requirements of the target substrate.
Microlenses in smartwatches
Vitralit UC 1633 belongs to the latest generation of optical materials: the adhesive is characterised by further improved resistance to yellowing, increased optical transmission and dimensional stability. It can be easily removed from PDMS moulds, making it the perfect material for the production of microlenses used, for example, in smartwatches.
For other optical applications and assembly, Panacol offers black UV-curing materials for shading and masking. These ‘Black&Light’ adhesives, such as Vitralit BL UC 1103, can be cured in thicker layers only by light, resulting in optical densities of up to 6. For the assembly of optical components, Panacol offers a wide range of UV-curing adhesives for bonding and alignment. For curing in shadow areas, dual-curing UV adhesives with a secondary moisture or heat-curing step are available.
These adhesives and optical bonding materials are cured using Hönle high-intensity LED curing systems that are perfectly matched to the wavelengths of Panacol photoinitiators. After curing, Panacol optical bonding adhesives are flexible and provide stress relief, reducing strain on dissimilar substrates.
Panacol will be exhibiting at Booth 4112 at the SPIE Photonics West trade show at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from 28 to 30 January 2025.