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Edge-Lit and Back-Lit LED Lighting with Acrylic

Edge Lighting
If you want general uniform illumination of a pane through edge lighting, use EndLighten. It is a
clear, colorless, milky acrylic that is embedded with colorless light diffusing particles
(sometimes referred to as “pixie dust”) in the acrylic, which causes light to diffuse forward. The
sheet accepts light through its edge and redirects it to the surface for bright, uniform
illumination. When the light from the LED strip shines through the acrylic from the edge it hits
the pixie dust dispersed throughout the acrylic, and shines out evenly from the pane, as shown
below:

EndLighten is available in 3 grades: L, XL, and XXL. L has the highest concentration of
diffusive material, and therefore is best for smaller brighter panes. XXL has the lowest
concentration and is best for large panes, because it will help keep the center from being dark.
XL is in the middle. The chart below can be used to determine which grade and size sheet is
optimal for your project. Application widths assume illumination on both sides. The distance
should be halved in the case of illumination from one side only.

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EndLighten T is specially formulated and engineered for LED edge-lit applications, shows no
clouding, and reduces total light reflection. In comparison to EndLighten, EndLighten T is less
cloudy and projects light perpendicular to the surface at a higher intensity, as illustrated below.
Optimized for vertical viewing, the apparent brightness of the surface is 250% brighter when
viewed from the front. The surface shines with the color of the LED light.

EndLighten T is available in 4 grades: SM, L, XL, and XXL. SM has the highest concentration
of diffusive material, and therefore is best for smaller brighter panes. XXL has the lowest
concentration of diffusive material and is optimized to for maximum lighting range. Each grade
has a different lighting range, based on the amount of diffusive material in the sheet.

Refer to the chart below as a guideline for which grade to choose, depending on your panel size
and desired range for lighting. The lighting range is the distance from the LED to the furthest
extremity.

Example: If you want to light a 4’ x 8’ panel, it is best to light the long 8’ sides so you only have
to make the lights reach in 2’ from each side to the center. If you light the 2 short sides, the light
must travel 4’. If you only light on 4’ side, the light must travel 8’.

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XXL can penetrate approximately 40” (1000 mm) from each side, which allows one to light a
78” pane, if you put lights on opposing edges. Below are some important pointers for optimizing
your LED lighting of EndLighten and Endlighten T:
 The LEDs should be flush with the edge to ensure that light is correctly fed in,
maximizing light input.
 All edges should be polished to reduce diffusion losses.

 To prevent light loss via the unlit edges, they should be reflective. This can be achieved
for example by applying a white coating to the inside of the profiles that enclose the sheet
edges or by using reflective adhesive tape, as illustrated below.

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Patterned or etched surface lighting
If you want to engrave a pattern or words into your acrylic, you will probably want to use a clear
panel with no diffusive material such as Acrylite GP or FF. The engraved pattern and any
exposed edges will be highlighted, as demonstrated below with Acrylite FF in the sign below:

Acrylite GP is a cell-cast product with superior optics, better toughness, but lower thickness
tolerance, so it is not as good for thermoforming. Some shrinkage will occur when heated to
forming temperature. The optimal temperature range for thermoforming is from 340°F to 380°F.
The GP sheet is available in a selected range of colors. Standard thickness for GP ranges from
0.118’’ to 1.00’’. The product is available in the following sizes:
 48’’x 96’’
 72’’x 120’’
 80’’x 120’’

Acrylite FF is an extruded product, which make it easier to fabricate at lower temperatures than
cast sheets, making it ideal for thermoforming with low shrinkage. The FF sheet provides tight
thickness tolerance, high optical characteristics, and low stress levels, and is available in a
variety of thicknesses in colorless as well as in colors. The optimal temperature range for
thermoforming is from 290°F to 320°F. Sheet sizes range from 48’’x 96’’ to 75’’x 100’’.
Available thicknesses range from .060’’ to .944’’ in clear, and .060’’ to .236’’ in color.

GP and FF sheet differ because they are produced in different ways. The applications for which
they are intended are also partly different, but their properties are nevertheless similar. Below is
a breakdown of the differences and similarities between GP and FF:

ACRYLITE® GP (cast)
 Absolutely clear
 Custom colors made-to-order
 Break-resistant
 Resistant to weathering and aging

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  High quality surface; high-gloss, textured (contemporary structures) or matte (GP P-95
for one sided or DP-9 for two sides)
 Very easy to work, similar to hardwood
 Easy to thermoform over a wide range of conditions
 Easily and firmly bonded, e. g. with reactions adhesives
 Burns more or less like hardwood; very little smoke generation; combustion gases are
Non-toxic and non-corrosive
 Max. service temperature approx. 176 °F

ACRYLITE® FF (extruded)
 Economical
 Break-resistant
 Resistant to weathering and aging
 Very good surface; high-gloss, textured or satin
 Easier to fabricate at lower temperatures than cast sheet product
 Easy to work; similar to hardwood
 Very easy to thermoform under optimal, constant conditions
 Very easily bonded, also with solvent adhesives
 Burns more or less like hardwood; very little smoke generation; combustion gases are
non-toxic and non-corrosive
 Max. service temperature approx. 158 °F

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Back Lighting
If you want to make a light box, distribute the LED strips behind a diffusive acrylic. The hard
part is make the “hot spots” (bright spots) of LEDs not appear. There are several things you can
do to avoid bright spots:
1. Put your LEDs close together. This increases cost, power consumption and brightness.
2. Keep the plane of your LEDs as far away from the acrylic pane as you can. Limitations:
a. If your LEDs are too far away, the box will not be very bright;
b. If your LEDs far from the pane, your box will be thicker.
The trade-off between 1 and 2 above is typically that your LEDs should not be further
from each other than they are from the acrylic pane:

3. Use Acrylite TruLED, which is specially formulated to reduce the hot spots. This special
product will allow you to remove the hot spots if the constraints of the above diagram are
not met. This means you can make your light box thinner, with LEDs that are not as
evenly spaced, and still avoid hot spots. The standard thickness for TruLED is .118’’ and
is available in two shades of white in 80’’x 120’’.

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Satin Ice (P-95/DP-9)

An additional option for backlighting projects is Satin ice. Satin ice has a frosted surface
throughout the entire sheet and performs well with LED lights, helping to eliminate hot spots.
Product specifications for size and thickness are as follows:

As the thickness of the product increases, light transmission value will decrease. Light
transmission value percentages are listed by color below, for your convenience:

There are 2 versions of Satin Ice: DP-9 and P-95. DP-9 has a matte two sided finish, which
produces a finished look from any viewing angle. The nature of the matte surface also hides
fingerprints, smudges, and scratches. If your project only requires a single sided matte surface, P-
95 can be used. P-95 is the same premium-grade cell case sheet with the matte finish on one side,
so if you are building an enclosed light box then P-95 would be ideal.

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