Due to advancements in liquid silicone materials, the use of silicone for optical purposes is now possible.  Optical silicones are available in different durometers ranging from 20 shore A to 70 shore D.

Liquid silicone has better optical performance properties than thermoplastic materials such as polycarbonates and acrylics.  Silicone also has many desirable physical characteristics over those of thermoplastics, such as heat resistance, optical transmission, and aging.

With Silicone, we have seen substantial cost reduction over glass, as lenses in silicone require one-operation molding.  Glass lenses require multi-steps including glass pre-forms, molding, and polishing. For example for very small lenses of 1mm or less in diameter, liquid silicone optical lenses are only a fraction of the cost of glass lenses.

With our rapid prototyping and short run capabilities, Albright can provide liquid silicone optical lenses in 2-3 weeks.  When working with glass, not only is it more expensive but the same design may take months for prototyping and short run quantities.

There are many useful applications for silicone lenses such as silicone LED lenses and light pipes.