LEDs or light-emitting diode lighting can be seen everywhere � on cars, on billboards and in homes and businesses. Luminaires worldwide are either adding LEDs to their product lines or starting �cottage industries�, offering lighting products and solutions never before thought possible.

One of those firms � Aqualuma Underwater Lighting�, the worlds leading manufacturer of watercraft and underwater lighting systems, based in Queensland, Australia stands out from among them.  Recently, they began offering boat builders, boaters and marinas around the globe a new type of underwater dock, marina and thru-hull underwater boat trim tab lights featuring a new polymer for managing the heat output of LED lights.
 
These polymers were developed by a U.S. firm called Cool Polymers, Inc. in Warwick, RI. One of the early applications for this new technology will be seen in, of all places, Dubai, as well as installations throughout the world. Their current and anticipated greater demand is that these Aqualuma lights provide non-corrosive, vivid, attractive underwater lighting in blue or white to lend a distinctive air to any vessel or marina to make any nighttime boating excursion or marina visit more enjoyable.

But first, a caveat about LED lighting.
LED lighting, the current rage among luminaries and consumers, does offer many benefits. Their popularity can be attributed to reduced electricity needs, a longer lifetime, and more environmentally friendly as compared to conventional incandescent and fluorescent lighting.*  But LED lighting still has a downside similar to other types of lighting � heat. Heat limits the life expectancy of LED products, and limits their use in certain applications.  Also, in lighting products for boating and marinas, the use of expensive or hard-to-fabricate materials to protect the LED lights is mandatory, for obvious reasons.

But no longer, according to engineers at Cool Polymers, a firm that has developed a series of rugged and heat dissipating polymers expressly for LED products.

When officials from Aqualuma and Cool Polymers got together after an arduous Web Site search by the R & D team at Aqualuma, they found a solution with a new grade of CoolPoly� injection moldable thermally conductive plastic. Since conventional products were unsuitable for Aqualuma applications, Aqualma decided on the solution offered by the Cool Polymers. This happened after more than two years of rigorous testing and evaluation, note spokesmen from the Australian firm. 

The exceptional level of thermal conductivity in this plastic is 5 to 100 times the value of conventional plastics, and when used as a replacement for aluminum, costs less, is lighter, can be easily molded, doesn�t corrode under water, Actually the CoolPoly thermally conductive plastic is tougher than aluminum. 

*LED lighting has the potential for reducing electricity consumption by as much as 10% and is claimed to be more than 4X more efficient than conventional incandescent lighting and is more environmentally friendly than compact fluorescent bulbs. LED lights are also claimed to last up to 15 years before burning out before needing to be replaced.

The Company, Its Products and Special Needs
Aqualuma, headquartered on the Gold Coast of Australia, designs and manufactures a range of underwater and out-of-water lighting. New lines of LED lighting offer customers something more than simple illumination, but lights that create vivid, attractive blue or white underwater or above water lighting that gives a distinctive air to any vessel and makes nighttime boating more enjoyable. Two of their newest products are LED dock and marina lights for underwater applications and LED trim tab lights for affixing to the trim tabs of boats.

According to company officials, their newest products are manufactured with a leak-proof, impact resistant polycarbonate housing and a long-lasting LED light source. During the design stages, report company officials, they needed to find an additional injection moldable polymer for use inside the housing that would a) help dissipate the heat generated by the lights, and b) be strong enough to withstand the rigors typical of such applications. As noted earlier, they found the solution, and the material, from Cool Polymers, Inc., an ideal fit.

The new grade of CoolPoly� thermally conductive thermoplastic, Aqualuma personnel soon came to recognize, is ideal for managing the heat output of LEDS by helping transfer and dissipate the heat close to the source. In addition, the polymer is extremely durable, low in cost and lightweight, making it ideal for both the trim tab and dock/marina light applications. 

At the die level, CoolPoly plastics provide low CTE and thermally conductive mass to help transfer and dissipate heat close to the source. �At the board level,� says Dr. James Miller, Product Manager at Cool Polymers, our thermally conductive plastics provide three-dimensional molded substrates that transfer LED energy similar to ceramic boards and metal backed boards.  And at the enclosure level, when molded into final Aqualuma LED housings, CoolPoly serves as a heat sink. The combination of low thermal resistance, low cost, 3-dimensional complexity and low weight, makes the material ideal for component integration.

One of the newer applications for the new lighting systems is expected soon in Dubai. Aqualuma has two additional products in the testing stage, and the unique properties of the Cool Polymer materials have made the development of these new products possible. Aqualuma engineers report that heat dissipative materials work seamlessly with their LED cooling requirements.

According to Carl Amor, President of Aqualuma, �Like all Aqualuma products, these new offerings are helping the industry get out of the �Bronze Age� by introducing a new realm of performance and reliability. Our market leading underwater light systems offer a wide range of competitive advantages. These include miniscule power draw a mere (0.5 amps at 12 volts or 0.3 amps at 24 volts), offer a compact size and have a low heat emission. Best of all, to the customer, they provide incredibly vivid colors and long life simply not afforded by more traditional glass-lensed halogen lights.� Testimony to the company�s confidence in their products is their three-year warranty.

Aqualuma Underwater Lighting designs and manufactures a range of underwater lighting and is currently developing a range of commercial exterior lighting. The company notes that the motivation in this area comes from the rapid expansion of LED technology, when the use of light is not solely for illumination, but rather used to create a scene that will long remembered.

Cool Polymers, Inc. is the oldest and undisputed leader in thermally conductive plastics, with more than 100 million customer molded parts in use. The firm also provides off-the-shelf and custom parts made from these proprietary polymers, plus full design and prototyping assistance. Products, polymers and services also available from the company are thermally conductive plastics for dielectric heat plates, folded-fin heat sinks, thermal interface and gaskets, functional heat sinks, compression molded solid shapes, complete design and prototyping services, product assembly and packaging