Study in LED tape and silicone extrusion process

Learn LED strips

LED strips can be divided in 2 groups: flexible and rigid strips.

This selection guide will only focus on the flexible LED strips, as they offer the most applications,which is wrap with soft silicone or PU to protect the diodes.

IP20	IP61	IP68
no protective coating	silicone or PU	silicone casing
width: 8 mm	width: 8 mm	width: 10 mm
height: 2,2 mm	height: 2,5 mm	height: 4 mm

Remark: The life span of LEDs is inversely proportional to the current running through them. The lower the current, the longer their life span.

High- power LED strips produce a lot of heat because many LEDs are positioned close to each other. Using LED strips at too high a temperature will considerably reduce their life span.

Reducing voltage will also reduce input current and power consumption. Reducing power consumption will in turn reduce heat production. With this solution, however, light output will also decrease considerably.

Example: A 12 V LED strip consumes 35 W at 12 V. When reducing the tension to 11 V, the consumed power drops to 25 W, but produces only 75 % of the normal light output.

If light output is important in your situation, reducing voltage is the least efficient solution.

In places that will have a lot of dust, debris, or potential to be in contact with any solids or liquids, you’ll want to make sure that the IP ratings are high and that you have adequate water resistant or waterproof coatings on the LED strip lights. Then the high IP rate LED strip come out.

The process of silicone LED strip extrusion process

After extruded, the LED strip will go through the 20m long vulcanizing oven and forming.

Connect with wire and end caping, the LED strip product will done.

Features of silicone LED strip:

• Excellent Weather Resistance: extrusion silicone can keep the softness, no embrittlement, out of shape, soften, maturing under the temperature of －50℃－150 ℃
• Good anti-UV ability: Extrusion silicone can expose under the sunshine without yellowing and maturing
• Excellent corrosion resistance performance: extrusion silicone can resist ordinary corrosion of acid, alkali, salt.Can be applied to the sea, chemical factory, gas stations, yacht or facilities.
• Excellent light transmittance: extrusion silicone light transmittance can achieve about 90%, well applied to the light strip, the light loss can drop to a lower rate.
• Unique plasticity: extrusion silicone gel is the solid silicone glue, can form into various shapes and internal structures with different mould.
• Excellent tear resistance: extrusion silicone has excellent tear resistance, after the vulcanization, the silicone can bear any manually tearing,it will not damage, out of shape (will bounce back ). 
• Good thermal conductivity: the extrusion silicone thermal conductivity coefficient is 0.27 W/MK, and PVC thermal conductivity is 0.14 W/MK.