Shining a light on PVC at PolyOne

Avon Lake, Ohio — Bright ideas are leading the way at compounding leader PolyOne Corp.

Avon Lake-based PolyOne recently commercialized grades of its Resilience LS-brand PVC compounds into lighting applications. The materials are being used in luminaire housings made by Hinkley Lighting Inc., which also is based in Avon Lake.

"There's been a big increase in LED lighting, which is now outselling all other lighting technologies," PolyOne executive David Persing said in a recent interview in Avon Lake. "That's created challenges and opportunities for PVC. LED lights last a long time, so the materials around them have to last a long time as well."

PolyOne's Resilience LS materials have the flame retardance and UV resistance needed to compete with traditional metal and glass materials in luminaire housings, officials said. UV stabilizers can be used to prevent yellowing in the housings, while other additives can be used to create different levels of light diffusion, Persing added.

Persing serves as senior business development manager of electrical and LED lighting for the firm's Geon Performance Materials unit. Prior to joining PolyOne in 2013, Persing spent 12 years at General Electric's lighting division in nearby East Cleveland, Ohio.

PolyOne began working with Hinkley on luminaire housings about two years ago. The firm hadn't worked in plastics before, but was looking for a new. lighter, longer-lasting material for its products which are used in outdoor spaces such as decks and ponds.

"The material had to be weatherable," Persing explained. "Corrosion was a concern, and it also needed chemical resistance."

The resulting products offer a 25 percent cost reduction vs. metal and are available in several colors, he added. Colors and light diffusion can be tailored for specific products. Hinkley's NuVi-brand hardscape luminaires also have textured housings and recently won a lighting industry award.

Some luminaire housings using the Resilience LS materials were commercialized in 2016, with more set to follow this year. "Lighting is a new market for our products, but it's growing," Persing said.

PolyOne ranks as North America's largest compounder and concentrates maker and as one of the region's largest resin distributors. The firm posted global 2016 sales of $3.3 billion.