SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, Wednesday announced that four of the company’s thermo-optical resins have been added in the materials database of the Zemax OpticStudio, the industry-standard in software for designing optical systems. These high-performance materials — including two grades of high-temperature LEXAN CXT polycarbonate (PC) copolymer, an ULTEM polyetherimide (PEI) resin and an EXTEM polyimide resin — are among the first resins to be added to OpticStudio, giving designers of optical sensors and lenses new and innovative material choices beyond glass and epoxy resins. The SABIC’s thermoplastics are designed to offer major advantages over these traditional materials like faster processing speeds and the possibility for freeform optics.

“Thermoplastics represent a new category of materials that significantly expands the choices currently available to optical designers,” said Gabrie Hoogland, chief scientist, High Heat Technology, SABIC. “The initial four products we’ve listed in the Zemax OpticStudio database offer high-temperature performance and many other desirable attributes to meet the specialized requirements of sensors and lenses for today’s and tomorrow’s consumer and industrial electronics applications. SABIC is strongly committed to supporting our customers in the optical industry and to expanding our materials offering in the Zemax database to keep pace with designers’ changing needs and preferences.”

“We welcome the addition of SABIC’s high-performance thermo-optical polymers to OpticStudio,” said Dr. Thomas Pickering, OpticStudio product manager, Zemax. “Many of our designers, who rely on our software for analysis, simulation and optimization of their optical components and systems, have requested the inclusion of material data for thermoplastics. Now, our customers have new opportunities to design next-generation lenses and sensors using these specialized optical materials. The expansion of our database will help designers gain even more value from OpticStudio.”

The four SABIC thermo-optical polymers now listed in the Zemax OpticStudio database are well suited to the demands of optical component miniaturization and address the challenges of integrating extensive functionality into limited space.

These materials can offer significant advantages over glass and epoxy resins. In design, they help remove restrictions and support innovative geometries, such as freeform surfaces, thin and longer walls, and improved textural definition. From a processing standpoint, injection molding reduces cycle times, eliminates the curing steps required for epoxy resins, and avoids expensive grinding and polishing operations required for optical glass. — SG