Webinar: Automotive Lighting Venting Solutions

Membrane Selection, Condensation Control and Integration

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2026

Event Summary

Abstract

Controlling condensation and fogging in automotive lamps requires more than selecting a high-airflow membrane. Temperature cycles, humidity, internal air volume, housing geometry, vent location, and pressure changes all influence how moisture enters, moves through, and leaves the assembly. Selecting the right venting solution requires evaluating the complete lamp system.

In this webinar, we’ll explore how venting membranes function in headlamps, rear lamps, and smaller lighting assemblies. We’ll examine how pressure-driven airflow and diffusion contribute to moisture transport, why stagnant air and housing configuration can limit moisture removal, and how venting requirements vary across lighting applications.

We’ll then connect these system dynamics to membrane selection, including airflow, water entry pressure, pore structure, membrane thickness, surface treatment, and mechanical support. We’ll discuss how to balance pressure equalization and condensation control with protection against water, dust, oils, and other environmental contaminants. We’ll also compare track-etched, ePTFE, and fibrous membrane structures, along with open, hybrid, membrane-vented, and closed system concepts.

Using lamp decondensation examples, we’ll discuss what laboratory measurements can reveal, why ASTM E96 wet-cup results alone may not predict performance in a finished lamp, and how simulation and application-specific testing can support membrane evaluation.

Finally, we’ll review membrane formats and integration methods, from die-cut and adhesive parts to welded assemblies and preassembled plug-in vents. We’ll examine how membrane support, available space, handling, sealing, and assembly requirements affect long-term reliability and the final design. An application engineering checklist will help participants define the information needed to select and validate an appropriate venting solution.

What You’ll Learn

• How temperature cycles, humidity, internal air volume, housing geometry, vent location, and pressure changes contribute to condensation and fogging
• How diffusion and pressure-driven airflow influence pressure equalization, moisture transport, and drying
• How airflow, water entry pressure, pore structure, membrane thickness, hydrophobic and oleophobic treatments, and mechanical support affect venting performance
• How to balance pressure equalization and condensation control with protection against water, dust, oils, and other environmental contaminants

• How track-etched, ePTFE, and fibrous membranes compare across different venting concepts and lighting applications
• How to interpret airflow and water vapor transmission measurements, including the limitations of ASTM E96 wet-cup testing and their use in simulation and application testing
• How membrane formats such as roll goods and die-cut parts, along with attachment methods including adhesive bonding, welding, and plug-in vent designs, affect assembly, integration, and long-term reliability
• How to define application and validation requirements for pressure differential, ingress protection, temperature, chemical exposure, service life, and complete-lamp performance

Who Should Attend

• Product development, design, and application engineers working on automotive lighting
• R&D and simulation engineers focused on condensation, moisture transport, and pressure equalization
• Materials, manufacturing, and process engineers evaluating and integrating venting membranes
• Test and validation engineers, technical product managers, and project teams defining automotive venting requirements

Bring your questions—the presentation will conclude with a live Q&A with our technical experts. 

Speakers:

Carsten Jennebach; Business Development Manager, EMEA/Oxyphen, Porex

Carsten currently focuses on automotive applications, particularly membrane-based venting solutions for lighting and protected enclosures. His broader experience spans consumer, electronics and acoustics applications and includes technologies such as track-etched and porous PTFE membranes, sintered and molded porous polymer solutions, and porous fiber-based materials.

Nina Barkalova;

Applications Engineer, Porex

Nina Barkalova is an Application Engineer at Porex, Oxyphen brand, where she works with customers to select and integrate track-etched membranes for venting and filtration applications. She has a master’s degree in chemistry and more than 15 years of experience in technical consulting, application engineering, and customer training. Before joining Oxyphen in May 2025, Nina held technical and application development roles at 3M, working closely with industrial customers to solve application challenges and bring technical solutions into use.