Sep 1 2007
Gerresheimer Wilden Group is one of the first companies in the world to process liquid crystal polymer in series production. Xenon lamp holders are manufactured for Osram in a sophisticated, fully automated production process. These durable, highly illuminating lighting systems are becoming increasingly successful as they improve nighttime visibility conditions.
Xenon lamp holder with metal inserts: (from left to right): Four welding lugs, one center contact sleeve and one contact ring.
As lamp holders are inside the lighting system during its operation, the material used for its production must be adapted to the glow discharge lamp it accommodates. For this application, the material must provide a long service life. High-voltage tolerance and low flammability are of utmost importance. “Instead of conventional materials, Osram opted for Zenite 5145 L BK 010 GF 40, a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) produced by DuPont”, Christian Liebl, project manager in the Technical Plastic Systems unit at Gerresheimer Wilden Group’s Technical CompetenceCenter in Wackersdorf/Germany explains. “Injection molding this innovative material is a very exacting process for both the special machine and the mold, but it provides the ideal solution for this application. We are proud that we again proved our excellent performance as a pacesetter in the polymer technology segment.” A handling device places the six inserts for the lamp holder into the mold cavity for overmolding. The most important processing parameters during the overmolding process are the injection pressure and the injection speed. Holding pressure cycles are only required to prevent the material from flowing back, as LCP becomes rigid almost immediately.
The scope of the project included all stages, from product development right through to plastics-oriented optimization, mold engineering, the coordination of different suppliers and freight management. The components are produced at Gerresheimer Wilden Group’s Dýšina in the Czech Republic. The lamp holders are finished by OSRAM. The gas discharge lamp is inserted into the lamp holder and heat-sealed.