Volume 4 Issue 8

CeeLite™, the world’s first commercial manufacturer of Light Emitting Capacitor (LEC) technology, and Eastman Chemical Company have signed an agreement to manufacture CeeLite LEC panels using Eastman’s patented Encapsulation Technology and Spectar copolyester. This partnership will allow CeeLite LEC panels to provide versatile lighting solutions for a variety of outdoor applications, ranging from advertising on buses and billboards, to retail window signage, street signage and sports and entertainment mobile merchandising.

Using electrodes to stimulate light-emitting natural phosphors embedded between thin plastic sheets, CeeLite LEC panels provide high-quality, uniform illumination for electronics and surface lighting projects. Market demands have fueled the need for more robust LEC panels, allowing for use as complete lighting systems for self-installed interior signage applications and outdoor environments with harsh weather conditions. As a result, CeeLite needed to enhance the traditional flexible films originally used for the LEC panel surface with a system that would provide optimal barrier properties to withstand outdoor environmental conditions, including moisture, heat and humidity. After researching various options, CeeLite turned to Eastman for its Encapsulation Technology.

Eastman’s proprietary Encapsulation Technology uses Spectar copolyester as the transparent substrate to encapsulate a variety of images, textiles, botanicals and natural inclusions, along with Light Emitting Capacitor (LEC) panels, for architectural and surface lighting applications. The sheet made of Spectar combines crystal-clear aesthetics with excellent durability. Its inherent

toughness allows the sheet to be used in the ultra-thin gauges that CeeLite LEC panels require and its chemical resistance enables trouble-free cleaning with most agents used on outdoor panels. In addition, Spectar is also easy-to-fabricate, which permits cutting, drilling, routing, and screwing without the need for special tools.

“The balanced features of Eastman’s Encapsulation Technology will allow CeeLite customers to use our products in new applications to transform any surface into a light source,” says Gabrielle Santulli, marketing director, CeeLite. “This will provide a more energy-efficient alternative to traditional lighting sources, since CeeLite LEC panels consume minimal quantities of electricity relative to incandescent, neon and florescent lights.”

In the past, Eastman’s Encapsulation Technology has been focused on decorative aesthetic applications that require design flexibility and dramatic visual effects. Working with CeeLite will allow Eastman to accelerate growth of this technology through encapsulation of functional lighting inclusions.