Westdeer-led is a professional led manufacturer and already 8 years exporting led lights . So we would like to share something about how to choose the most suitable panel light for your requirement. Hope our post will tell you the differences of the materials used in the panel and learn more how it affects the
quality and cost.
First, let’s study the structure of panel light.

From above photo you can find that panel lights are mainly consist of frame、LED、diffuser、LGP plate、LED driver and back plate.
let's go over these materials and see what effect when you choose a panel light.
Frames(aluminum heat sink)
There are mainly 3 moldings of frame for panel light.
1.Stamping aluminum
Stamping alu normally made by 1mm aluminium board, and then welded to put together as a frame, apply wiredrawing surface treatment.
Advantage: through appearance, the joint section of heat sink can achieve a seamless level, it is more light, easy to set up and low cost.
Disadvantage: heat sink made with stamping aluminium is easy to scratch hands and fingers. And, for 40w as well as other higher wattage panel equipment and lighting, heat dissipation is very poor, the situation of LEDs burn out is very often.
2.Extruded aluminum
Panel light using extruded aluminum, mainly produced by AL6063 and AL6061 materials,the structural strength of AL6061 is stronger than AL6063, but appearance and surface treatment are not as good as AL6063, basically, the differences are tiny. Frame made by extruded aluminum is most common for LED panel light.
Advantages: heat dissipation is good, along with exquisite appearance, diversified surface area treatment, low tooling cost and easy to shape up. And the sizes can be custom made according to different applications, with great plasticity. All these features allow it to be the most ideal model to make led panel light.
Disadvantage: cost is higher compared to stamping aluminum, and material is much more heavy.

Although the extruded alu is the best material to make LED panel, in the market now there are lots of short-term-business-suppliers have eyes only on profit only, they use low-price, unqualified materials to produce panel light. Normally, the thickness of the frame has to be 2mm, only that it can achieve good heat dissipation.
3.Die-casting aluminum
Die-casting aluminium is mostly applied to the panel lights with small sizes in which diameter is under 300mm.
Advantage: integration, a truly seamless profile, with elegant view, good heat dissipation as well as cheap price.
Disadvantage, tooling cost is high, size is repaired that it’s unable to modify randomly in accordance with customer demands and without plasticity.
Diffuser
Type of diffuser: PC, PMMA, PS, PP
1. PC (Polycarbonate)
- with high Intensity and elastic coefficient, high impact strength, wide using temperature range.
- high transparency and free chromaticity.
- high grade of H.D.T.
- good fatigue durability.
- good weather resistance (weather resistance is the ability of a material, paint, film, or the like to withstand the effects of wind, rain, or sun and to retain its appearance and integrity).
- odourless and harmless to people
- shrinkage rate of shaping is low and with steady size stability.