As LED lighting products continue to proliferate, some LED lighting fixture manufacturers compromise the performance of their fixtures due to industry-wide cooperation aimed at the development of standard specifications for the interfaces of LED light engines
Ramifications of an off-the-shelf Light Engine (LE) selection could include unsatisfactory light output, poor lumen per watt performance, increase assembly time and costs as well as delivery delays and other problems that can be avoided.
“Off-the-shelf or ‘commodity’ light engines are often perceived by lighting manufacturers to be a standardized product that provides both ready availability and cost savings,” explains Don Bernier, president of MADE (Manufacturing And Design Electronics), a Michigan-based LED light engine manufacturer. But, in many cases, lighting manufacturers may be much better off evaluating the use of customized light engines for their fixtures. Bernier cites several factors that light fixture makers of all sizes should considered before making LE selections.
Determining true requirements
Simply because many LEs are produced in high volume doesn’t necessarily make them the best value. Nor should they necessarily be the “standard” for lighting companies. In many instances lighting manufacturers are seeking design latitude in terms of sizes, shapes, mounting hole locations, as well as light output and color temperature that comprise their products. More important, the finished fixture’s lumens/watt performance or light quality / evenness may be off-target, creating long-term dissatisfaction among end-users.
Conversely, custom LEs are expressly designed and manufactured to fit the lighting output and size requirements of specific lighting fixtures.
Hitting lighting targets
When lighting companies simply adopt an available commodity LE in many instances it is the same as ignoring the lighting objectives, targets, or the lighting fixture that they are producing. This might result in “adaptations” such as trying an increased drive current, which then may not achieve the lumen/watt goal. By looking at all of those targets at the fixture design stage, the custom LE manufacturer can usually streamline the light engine design process and find a solution that enables the fixture to perform in the manner that the lighting company desires.
Hitting cost targets
Cost is usually a dominant consideration when a light fixture manufacturer selects a light engine module. But, costs can be misleading. One of the major advantages of a custom light engine is that it is easier to integrate into the light fixture, requiring fewer connections during assembly resulting time and labor savings. There are other cost options that the custom LE manufacturer can recommend, such as what type of LED is used for an application. For instance, a properly designed solution might call for more LEDs, but at a significantly lower cost per LED. Lighting manufacturers may run into supply problems when a commodity LE manufacturer can’t meet delivery requirements because a very large customer has just taken the entire inventory. Smaller custom LE makers are usually able to minimize delivery problems because they design and plan with their customers ahead of time, which results in consistent, dependable deliveries.
For more information, visit the web site www.cilighting.com or made-usa.net
