Content by Dow

At the forefront of the dynamic stadium lighting industry is Dow's Moldable Optics branch. Located north of Detroit in Midland, Michigan, Dow Performance Silicones technology has enabled innovation in not just how we see live stadium events, but how we experience them. One venue that has employed this technology is Tampa Bay's Amalie Arena, host to the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning as well as NCAA basketball and ice hockey games, UFC fights, gymnastics competitions and major live music events.

So, what are moldable optics and how does this technological advancement change how we view games? “Before silicone, most large-scale LED lighting systems were made of plastic,” Application Engineer, Dow Performance Silicones, Jake Steinbrecher explains, “The unique physical properties of Moldable Optical Silicone Elastomers allow for design flexibility in terms of intricate, difficult-to-achieve optical shapes and also allow for critical optical performance in demanding environments.” Unlike plastics, moldable optics made from silicone have the ability to retain long-term clarity while also preventing light loss and minimizing light absorption. Lights made with moldable silicone optics can be more cost-effective, minimizing energy losses as compared to traditional LED lights.

One person that has seen how the evolution of dynamic lights have changed the face of stadium art design is Mike O'Donnell, Director of Planning and Projects for Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment. O'Donnell describes his first experience at the arena: “My first game as an adult was here at Amalie Arena in 2010. The game presentation was top notch, even during stoppages in play, but the lighting was not anything memorable.”

“Not anything memorable” isn't exactly a glowing report. But by partnering with the folks at Ephesus Lighting, the crew at Amalie Arena have changed the overall experience for not only the players, performers and fans in the stands, but the fans watching at home, too. No lighting technology has had a bigger effect on TV broadcasts than Ephesus' LumAdapt System. The LumAdapt Systems' coverage, power and clarity allow cameras to broadcast up to 8K. The whole system can also be controlled remotely, from both mobile and desktop platforms! O'Donnell notes the transformation, “The first time I saw Ephesus Lighting in an arena I could instantly notice that the main attraction, the ice sheet, was popping visually. From there, the enhancement of color changing effects throughout the arena were very unexpected. The team's game presentation department was able to enhance the atmosphere and emotions of the fans just by modifying the color temperature in the building.” For the athletes in these stadiums, this means they can see the field, a speeding slapshot or a fastball, and so can the fans.

“The reduction in kilowatt hours is the most impressive thing that stands out to me,” O'Donnell adds. “We added a higher quality of lights, with far superior capabilities, while still reducing our energy footprint. Being able to reduce our overall usage while also adding features like beam and color tuning is extremely impressive.”

As far as the future of sports lighting O'Donnell says, “I believe the next steps are the true integration between sports and themed/show lighting. The new Ephesus LumAdapt fixture is extremely versatile and controllable which allows game presentation teams a ton of flexibility and creativity to enhance the ‘show' every chance they get.” But moldable optics have a large variety of possible uses in the lighting industry, well beyond stadium lighting. Moldable optic technology can currently be found in use at industrial complexes and in outdoor security lights and municipal parks, but that is not all. In Europe, moldable optics are being used to create Adaptive Driving Beam technology, high beams that automatically adjust in intensity in response to oncoming traffic. This allows drivers to keep their high beams on at all times, maintaining maximum visibility without blinding other motorists.

The potential of silicone optics is evidenced by these examples. While the market will reveal new uses for Dow's moldable optics, one thing is certain: wherever they're deployed, we'll see things much more clearly.

The 8,000-square-meter, four-story Portal Lifestyle Complex, located in a northern suburb of Bangkok, houses retail stores, restaurants, a food court and brand-name outlets. It even has a ballroom on the top floor, providing 1,500 square meters of versatile space that can accommodate a variety of events for up to 1,000 guests. Since its opening, it has hosted exhibitions, conferences lavish weddings and other celebrations - but the building gained the attention of business owners and engineers alike before it hosted its first guest.

Its most arresting feature, its paneled exterior, was made possible in part due to new adhesive technology: constructed with the DOWSIL™ 896 Silicone PanelFix Adhesive, the Portal Lifestyle Complex represents a new time-saving way to seamlessly assemble flush-fitting panels. Global Marketing Director for Dow High Performance Building, Jean-Paul Hauketeer, explains that the silicone adhesive is superior to that of screws because not only does it take more time, but the “variations can lead to acoustic vibration, deterioration of individual screws among other issues. Using screws and mechanical fixtures create thermal bridges between the exterior and interior of the building and you can have heat or cold entering the building.” In the case of silicone-adhered paneling, there is also an additional insulation barrier between exterior and interior. It would've been nearly impossible to construct the portal's network of panels securely using previous methods without drastically inflating the budget. “Eliminating the need to apply a primer, as well as the adhesive's immediate tack, meant that work could proceed faster than expected,” says Sasivee Jiamkuan, Assistant Managing Director at Nawakij Aluminum and Glass, the firm tasked with installing the panels on the complex. “In fact, panel production and installation were completed two months ahead of schedule, and at a fraction of the initially estimated costs.” As far as health and safety, the silicone-bonded panels can withstand high wind pressure – especially vital in places like Bangkok, where typhoons are common.

Private companies and local governments are taking notice of the benefits of the DOWSIL™ 896 PanelFix System, and using it in some groundbreaking ways. Dublin, Ireland's National Indoor Arena features an 18,000 square meter facility with a track and training center for athletics, a gymnastics training center, a 12-court sports hall and 3G synthetic pitches for football and rugby training, but it's the outer structure that is sparking conversation. The geometric panels which make up its exterior required a “secret fix” aesthetic with no visible fixings; the DOWSIL™ Panelfix system made it possible. And in Falkirk, Scotland, a team of specialists tasked with creating the striking façade of The Kelpies, one the world's largest equine sculptures, turned to DOWSIL™ Panelfix. As a result, they were able to bond sculptures' 316 panels quickly and securely.

But that's not all: Hautekeer also points to the future uses in luxury residential development; DOWSIL™ Panelfix will save developers both time and money. He notes, “Aluminum composite and high-pressure laminate panels are increasingly used for residential spaces because of their attractiveness - and the DOWSIL™ Silicone bonding tech will be seen in more high-end multi-story residential & multi-usage buildings” Simply put, “Bonding and pre-fabricating is much more efficient.”

The breakthroughs they've made have already had an impact across multiple industries, with automotive, consumer goods and industrial applications. Take 3D printed LSRs: They let designers create prototype parts more quickly and reduce the time between prototyping and large-scale manufacturing. They also allow for the creation of low volume parts for specialized uses and give manufacturers the flexibility necessary to create truly customized designs.

Even with all they've accomplished across the past decade, each and every week presents Wolf and his team with “new opportunities and new questions – can the materials do this? Can they do this?” A crucial part of the lab's success is its location: they're perfectly situated to focus on research while still listening to what their customers are saying. It's no coincidence that the R&D team, a tight knit group of 8 scientists, technicians and process engineers, shares a building with both Dow's business development and marketing department and the facility which manufactures all of Dow's 3D Printing LSRs.

Close dialogue between departments helps the R&D team focus their research and develop applications that will make a real difference to the customer. “This is the ideal situation,” according to Wolf. “You can always have a good dialogue between the direct customer and development, including engineering and manufacturing.”

In fact, the challenge Wolf and his team have been tackling the last few weeks grew directly from a customer request: multiple customers have asked Dow to add a splash of color to their 3D printer LSR. At first glance, this seems like an easy modification to make. Dow's LSR formula is made of two components, Components A and B – but unfortunately, adding color into the mix isn't as simple as adding a pre-mixed dye. The moment you add anything extra to the mixture, you change the behavior of the material – and need to modify the composition of the base. “This all needs to fit together,” Wolf says. “You cannot take any current, existing colored paste. It simply won't work. So, we're developing the additive dyes ourselves.”

In order to make colored LSR a reality, they're creating new dispensing technology capable of releasing tiny exact amounts of additive necessary to color the LSR without changing its crucial characteristics. This development will allow maximum flexibility and ease-of-use for customers in need of colored printed parts.

The technology created during the development process may lead to much larger advancements in the not- so-distant future. “There are definitely certain possibilities [for new additives],” Wolf says. “One potential is to add conductive materials to make printed parts conductive or semi-conductive.” While the Dow LSR team is focused on industrial and consumer applications, Wolf believes the ability to add conductive material could also lead to new “functional wear” applications as well.

For now, Wolf and his team are focusing on perfecting their additive dyes – they've already managed to create prototype parts dyed a brilliant red. And he's confident there will be many more breakthroughs in their future. “We are a team that is very passionate,” he says, “and we have a lot of people who have the right kind of curiosity. 3D Printing is just in the early stages. We still have a lot to develop.”

With the ingenuity of Innovation Lab ECCO's 3D silicone printing, consumers can experience custom fitted midsoles for their shoes while they wait in-store. With Data-driven design and real time analysis derived from scan and sensor data, the Quant-U system maps out the best possible orthotic fit. In a sense, the consumer's body and body mechanics design the shoe.