Covestro Makrolon® polycarbonate delivers The Material Effect in high-performance laser safety eyewear

Covestro-NoIR

PITTSBURGH, July 30, 2026 — Law enforcement officers increasingly encounter hand-held laser threats during operations, requiring protective eyewear that doesn't compromise visibility or safety. For manufacturers of this eyewear, the challenge has been finding a material that brings together optical precision, impact resistance, and compatibility with sensitive additives in a single solution.

NoIR InSight, a leader in laser safety eyewear, turned to Covestro's Makrolon® LQ3187 polycarbonate to produce its LaserShield® eyewear. The lenses are molded with heat sensitive, narrow absorption peak absorbers that deliver a tight performance balance between protection against laser energy and clear visibility of the environment. Makrolon® LQ3187 was selected for its compatibility with highly purified absorbers, superior toughness in high-impact scenarios, and excellent optical performance, all critical in these situations.

"At NoIR, we've always believed that protection and performance should go hand in hand," said Ben Gleichert, Production Manager of NoIR InSight. "Covestro's materials help us deliver eyewear that meets the highest standards."

Makrolon® LQ3187 is a high-performance polycarbonate that delivers a unique combination of properties:

• High performance and optical quality: Offers excellent clarity and transparency, making it ideal for lenses and filters where visibility is critical
• UV stabilized: Provides UV 400 cut-off protection, helping shield eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays
• Impact resistance: Delivers outstanding toughness and high impact strength, meeting stringent ballistics and impact standards for protective eyewear
• Easy processing: Designed for injection molding, with easy release properties and a processing window that supports complex, additive-rich formulations (such as those needed for light-filtering)

This demanding application marries two difficult material requirements: the toughness of the end-product and the ability to mold within very narrow processing windows required for absorbers that provide narrow band light-filtering. Covestro's material and technical expertise enabled NoIR to overcome manufacturing challenges that had been problematic for over a decade. A clear example of The Material Effect in action, combining material science and manufacturing expertise to solve a longstanding challenge.

Covestro also provides materials used in NoIR's broader product portfolio, including laser safety eyewear for medical, industrial, and research applications. Makrolon® 2258 polycarbonate is used in specialty laser filters in clinical settings where tissue color rendition is essential (hair removal, tattoo removal, vascular and surgical lasers) and ultra-short pulsed scientific applications that require high visibility of the experimental setup, as well as industrial applications such as laser cutting, laser welding, and laser marking. Additional specialty filters are in development.

"NoIR Insight's eyewear demonstrates how our polycarbonates can meet complex technical demands without compromising safety or clarity," said Emily Shaffer, Healthcare Market Manager, Americas – Engineering Plastics, Covestro LLC.

Covestro continues to invest in polycarbonate technologies that deliver The Material Effect across industries, enabling partners like NoIR InSight to develop products that meet the highest standards of safety, clarity, and performance.