Led slim panels

[RAFAEL GUERRI]

Hi, I´ d like to know if someone has already try to make flat lights.
These lights are also called Led slim panels and i think the best ones are made by Fawoo. The issue is that they have a sort of "v cutting" engraving like a grid and others a dot pattern. The other fact is that they use a very powefull slim led strip.
It seems like the grid v cutting is the key to achieve even ilumination.
So far I´ve tried whith Evonik Endlighten Acrylic, whith a laser engraved grid, but the results were not very impresive. I have also use a piece of Endlighten with dot pattern printed on both sides by UV printing, also with poor results.
My goal is to make A1 size panels with a minimun of 500 lux. in the middle.
I´m from Argentina and it seems that the biggest laser engraving machine available has a working area of 600 mm x 400 mm aprox.
I´ll appreciate any help.
Thanks in advance.

[Joe Pelonio]

I think you will find that to be a CNC application, the laser cannot cut V shaped grooves without custom modification work. That is a special kind of acrylic that is available but more expensive and not likely to be at the usual acrylic suppliers except by special order.

Here's one supplier:

http://www.techplastcoated.com/info-...t-modified.asp

[RAFAEL GUERRI]

Joe, thank you very much for the info. I´ve got a sample of one of these panels, and for what I could noticed the grooves are very thin (no more than 1 mm) and they have this "V shape". So if these grooves are not likely made by laser I think that the tool shoud look like a "plow" that scratch the acrylic. Do you have in mind any other tool to do this?
Thx.

[Joe Pelonio]

A very fine V bit on a CNC router has probably been used, you might be able to make a jig to do it with a hand router but it could be tedious. Maybe try a series of 3 vector cuts on the laser that only go in maybe 1/16" for the middle one, the outside ones slightly less. Set it up so that on the screen the hairlines appear to be nearly touching. Fast speed low power, and experiment on small scraps first.

[Mike Null]

Rafael

A rotary engraver such as those made by Newing Hall, New Hermes, Visions, Quest, etc. can do that kind of work.

My Newing Hall has a table size of 15" x 16" which is smaller than you need but the larger ones are not uncommon.

[Joe Brophy]

From the picture on their website and the associated text, they use a cnc to make the grooves, in a "special" acrylic optical plastic and the oanel includes "heatsinks" to the heat of the leds. All this in a panel 8mm thick.
Probably the reason you were not impressed with your panel is you might have been using too few LEDs. Judging from the stated wattage of their panels they are using about as many leds that can be out in the v grooves, and obviouly they are using surface mount leds. The leds are likely configured in strings using fine wire and these strings then bonded into the grooves in the panel, followed by some sort of screen type grid that acts as a heatsink. If the panel even needs a heatsink, they nust be using a BUNCH of leds, thus giving them a lot of light from the start. regards, Joe.