SABIC will participate in the 2019 Automotive Lidar Technology Showcase in Dearborn, Michigan, September 25-26. Aurelie Schoemann, SABIC Mobile Business Manager, will begin a technology demonstration of high-performance mobile optical resins at the Henry Hotel on September 25 at 4.20pm. Schoemann will discuss key challenges affecting the design, manufacture, and performance of lidar sensors, and explain how SABIC's Ultem amorphous polyetherimide (PEI) and other optical thermoplastic resins provide solutions. She will focus specifically on infrared transparent resins for optical lidar components.
To prevent laser light from being blocked, lidar systems may be embedded in car grills, bumper fascias, or headlights, exposing them to severe weather conditions, and road chemicals and debris may affect their optical transparency and durability. Another challenge is the increasing miniaturization of lidar components, making them less compelling and more cost-effective. These smaller formats enable greater design flexibility.
Compared to the two materials traditionally used for lidar components, glass and epoxy, SABIC's advanced engineering thermoplastic resins provide greater freedom to design complex, miniaturized, and thin-walled geometries. They are increasingly becoming the materials of choice for applications that require high infrared transparency and environmental resistance to UV light, chemicals, abrasion and impact. In addition to PEI, Sabic also offers Stat-kon antistatic, conductive and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding compounds and LNP Konduit thermally conductive compounds.
Schoemann is a technology leader with ten years of experience in mass transit, automotive and consumer electronics. She is currently focused on developing thermoplastic solutions to meet the challenges of the growing automotive sensor market. She holds a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.