SABIC Supplies Innovative Resin to LLVision

Innovative Resin Supply from SABIC to LLVision Hearing loss and speech language translation can now be addressed using new technology: augmented reality (AR) glasses offered by Beijing LLVision Technology Co., Ltd. display real-time audio translations of text on the lenses. The company's LEION Hey glasses feature frame temples molded from SABIC's rigid, lightweight, naturally halogen-free flame-retardant ULTEM™ 1000 resin. The ULTEM resin enables thin-walled molding of frame temples that house both a lithium-ion battery and a computer chip to provide fast, multilingual translations. SABIC's innovative material helps LLVision minimize the weight of frame temples to provide all-day comfort to users, while enabling high strength by allowing maximum functionality of core components to be integrated into the temples. LLVision uses automatic speech recognition technology and artificial intelligence to generate, transmit and display audio translations in milliseconds. The computer chip integrated into the glasses' frame temples converts speech input to text data. The glasses connect wirelessly to a smartphone application that handles user authentication. In LLVision's selection process, ULTEM resin outperformed existing materials used for eyeglass frame temples, such as amorphous polyamide (PA) resin. SABIC's polyetherimide (PEI) material provides a balance of flexibility and rigidity that enables thin-walled molding to reduce weight by up to 30 percent compared to PA and provides more space for embedded components. This specialized resin also provides better dimensional stability than PA for efficient assembly and helps secure the frame temples firmly to the user's head. The flame-retardant properties of ULTEM resin increase the safety of devices containing electronic components, and the halogen-free formulation prevents the use of chlorine and bromine, which are associated with adverse health and environmental effects. ULTEM 1000 resin is an unfilled, general-purpose product offering high heat resistance along with high strength, modulus and broad chemical resistance properties. It has fire safety ratings compliant with UL94 V0, V2 and 5VA standards. SABIC supplies the material to LLVision in a custom-designed gray color. SABIC also maintains a broad portfolio of other materials that are highly suitable for eyeglass frames and temples, depending on customers' design requirements. Scott Fisher, Director of ULTEM Resins and Additives at SABIC's Specialty Chemicals business unit, said: "LLVision's AR smart glasses represent a new and effective way to help people communicate more easily and accurately. Our high-performance ULTEM resin, the preferred choice for eyeglass applications for over a decade, helped the company overcome core product design and manufacturing challenges. Based on user testing, any AR or conventional eyeglass manufacturer can benefit from the lightweight and high-strength properties of ULTEM resin. We look forward to working on the next generation version of the LEION Hey glasses, which uses a certified, renewable, bio-based ULTEM resin grade with LLVision." Source