Archive for the ‘LED News’ Category

09
May
2012

Cree Announces LED Downlights and New Linear SSL Fixture

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Cree has added two new LED downlights and a new linear fixture to its portfolio, and has announced a new SSL module and an extension to its TEMPO testing service.

Leading into Lightfair, Cree made announcements in both its lighting division and its core LED business. Cree Lighting announced a high-end LED downlight that it says targets architectural-grade applications, and a mainstream downlight meant to match the price of compact-fluorescent (CFL)-based downlights. In addition, the company launched the CS series linear solid-state lighting (SSL) fixture rated for 75,000 hours of life. Cree’s LED unit, meanwhile, has announced new LED modules and more comprehensive TEMPO testing services for its LED customers.

The new SR Series Architectural Downlight is available in a choice of 3000K, 3500K and 4000K CCTs with a CRI greater than 90. Cree joins a number of companies in using the word architectural to imply a higher-performing product, although that terminology can be confusing given that it’s more widely used to describe outdoor lighting of buildings and structures.

David Elien, vice president at Cree Lighting, says the optical design of the SR products sets it apart. He said, “Many LED downlights have a gap between the light source and the reflector in the can.” With the new downlight, Cree announced the Cree Light Source-Reflector Unity Optical system. What that means, according to Elien, is that the light is uniformly and evenly spread across the surface of the optics and the reflector.

“With the SR Series, the high-quality LED light you expect from Cree comes in a package that you would expect from an architectural-grade lighting manufacturer and at a price point consistent with the industry,” said Leah Robinson, lighting designer at Affiliated Engineers, Inc. “Plus, its high efficacy and color consistency allows designers to put more thought into the details of their design and feel confident in the quality of their downlighting solutions.”

The SR Series delivers 2000 lm, efficacy of 80 lm/W, and a lifetime of 75,000 hours. The product is priced in the $200 range and Elien said that’s commensurate with architectural-grade products based on legacy sources. That means, according to Elien, that payback is instant. He said, “The goal is no compromise for the user, but to drive payback.”

Contractor-grade downlight

Cree classifies the second new downlight – the KR Series – as contractor grade, and the product will sell in the $150 range. Like the SR Series, the KR series uses Cree TrueWhite technology that mixes amber and red LEDs to produce a warmer light and higher CRI. Indeed, the KR series delivers better than 90 CRI in 2700K, 3000K and 3500K CCT options.

While the SR series is 0-10V dimmable, the KR series is dimmable via a triac to 5% of full output. Cree said the product is a direct replacement for 13W and 26W CFL downlights while offering 30% energy savings and superior efficacy at 54 lm/W.

The new Cree CS series linear fixtures, meanwhile, build on the successful CR series. The CS series does not include a lens but uses a new reflector design to achieve even distribution of light.

Cree already has a happy customer. “We researched the LED market extensively and only Cree offered a solution that delivered high-quality lighting and easy payback,” said Jason D. Curtis, principal of Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, NC. “Since the new CS series is designed for 75,000 hours of life, Cardinal Gibbons High School can benefit from ongoing operational savings due to decreased maintenance and lower energy consumption compared to the linear fluorescents we replaced.”

The CS series can be suspended from the ceiling or flush mounted with an optional bracket. The luminaires come in 8- and 4-ft versions. The luminaires deliver efficacy of 120 lm/W and CRI above 90.

Cree module and TEMPO

Moving from finished lighting products to enabling technologies, Cree announced a new module designed to replace metal-halide (MH) lamps, and more extensive testing services in its TEMPO program. The new modules are extensions to the company’s LMH2 family with output ranging from 2000-3000 lm. Cree has added a new lens system that delivers a hemispheric light pattern. The module enables 50-70W SSL replacements for MH lamps in applications such as spot and track lights.

In the testing area, Cree has added to its TEMPO (Thermal Electrical Mechanical Photometric Optical) program announced last fall. The new TEMPO 24 offering includes the testing of luminaires made by Cree’s LED customers to the LM-79 standards. The National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) has accredited Cree’s service. Overall, the TEMPO program also includes some thermal and electrical evaluations that go well beyond LM-79 requirements.

“In my experience, if I had to select a single document that’s had the greatest impact in selling LED light sources to customers, it would be the Cree TEMPO report,” said Pierre van Helden, CEO of LED Lighting SA. “The service provided an independent and thorough review for our products and the results give us the confidence to sell our products with passion—giving our customers the assurance that our products are being designed and produced to the highest international standards.”

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26
Apr
2012

LED Financial News: Philips, Cree, LED lighting in Asia Pacific

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Cree and Royal Philips Electronics have both reported positive quarterly results, while a new report from Pike Research expects LED lighting in the Asia Pacific region to accelerate rapidly after 2015.
Philips Lighting gets first quarter bounce.

Royal Philips Electronics (PHIA.AE) has reported that it delivered a healthy first-quarter 2012 net profit, which was helped by strong sales and gains from asset sales. Philips’ largest division, its healthcare operations, performed strongly, and the lighting division enjoyed its first increase in revenues in eight quarters.

“I’m happy to report that we are now seeing solid improvement across all sectors of our business and our growth figures for the first quarter confirm this trend, with Healthcare growing at 9%, Consumer Lifestyle growth businesses above 7%, and Lighting at 2%. Excluding external sales of Lumileds, which saw a double-digit decline in the quarter due to inventory correction in the channel and an increasing mix of internal sales, our Lighting business actually grew by 4% in the quarter. LED product sales for the quarter grew by 22%, said van Houten.

After taking the helm at Philips a year ago, van Houten aims to make the company leaner and more customer focused. He cautioned, however, about the remainder of 2012, citing the uncertainties in Europe, particularly in the healthcare sector and in construction markets.

The company delivered a net profit of EUR248 million (US326 million) for the first three months of the year, up more than 80% from EUR137 million (US180 million) in the same period last year. In the final quarter of 2011 it had posted a net loss of EUR162 million (US213 million), due to weak markets and losses from its TV business.

In efforts to stem its losses, Philips plans to cut 4500 jobs globally including 1400 positions in the Netherlands.

Cree Reports 30% year-over-year revenue increase

Cree (NASDAQ: CREE) based in Durham, NC has announced revenue of $284.8 million for its third quarter of fiscal 2012 ended March 25, 2012. This represents a 30% increase compared to revenue of $219.2 million reported for the third quarter of fiscal 2011 but a 6% decrease compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2012.

Net income (generally accepted accounting practices or GAAP) for the third quarter was $9.5 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, a decrease of 50% year-over-year compared to GAAP net income of $18.9 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, for the third quarter of fiscal 2011.

“Our third quarter earnings per share were in the middle of our target range as strong factory execution and a tax benefit offset the impact of revenue being slightly below our target range,” stated Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. “Overall company backlog is stronger than it was at this point last quarter, with Lighting, LEDs and Power and RF all tracking ahead of Q2, although order visibility is still limited. Our focus remains on driving adoption through innovation and we believe we are well positioned to continue leading the transition to LED lighting and drive growth in our business.”

For its fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 ending June 24, 2012, Cree targets revenue in a range of $295 million to $315 million with GAAP gross margin targeted to be 35%, which includes a stock-based compensation expense of approximately $2.5 million.

Pike Research expects LED lighting to take off in Asia Pacific

A recently published report from market research company Pike Research based in Boulder, CO states that in most Asia Pacific markets, governments are committing large amounts of funding to basic LED lighting infrastructure, creating an abundance of business opportunities. The firm expects sales of LED lighting systems to increase rapidly over the next ten years and to accelerate sharply after 2015. Unit shipments, including lamps and luminaires, will rise from 66 million in 2011 to 542 million in 2021 — an increase of more than 700%.

Among the frontrunners in energy-efficient lighting technology are Japan, which revealed its plans to lead the LED lighting industry through its 21st Century Light Project more than a decade ago, and Taiwan, which has established a Next Generation Light Source Technology Development & Supply Strategy that calls for a greater reliance on LED lighting and material production as a national industry, reducing its focus on the semiconductor industry.

The report, “Energy Efficient Lighting in Asia Pacific,” describes the key technology and market trends driving the use of LED and other high-efficiency lighting in the commercial, industrial and outdoor stationary sectors within the Asia Pacific region. The report analyzes policy issues, market adoption trends and the competitive landscape.

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27
Mar
2012

GE Introduces Lumination LED Troffer

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GE Lighting Solutions has brought to market a recessed LED troffer that is dimmable and provides up to 26 percent savings in electricity cost relative to fluorescent alternatives.

GE Lighting Solutions of East Cleveland, OH, has introduced its first commercial product in the Lumination brand line. It is a recessed LED troffer offered in 600×600-cm (2×2 ft) and 300×1200-cm (1×4 ft) versions with a panel thickness of only 14 mm (0.5 in). Both sizes are offered in 3000K, 3500K and 4000K configurations.

The ceiling panel is designed for office, retail, healthcare and education environments. The troffer is designed to compete with fluorescent fixtures and installs in common T-bar ceiling grids. A built-in dimmable driver, which brings the installed thickness to 64 mm (2.5 in), is designed to ease installation.

A critical aspect of the panel design is the technology used to achieve a particular distribution of light from the panel to the target area. Cree XP-G LEDs are mounted horizontally along the side of the panel while an optical film that incorporates high-efficiency microprismatic materials optimizes the photometric distribution. GE licensed this microprismatic material, called MicroLens, from Sunnyvale, CA-based Rambus. Using proprietary optical modeling software and design techniques, MicroLens optimizes the light distribution across an entire surface or focuses the light in specific locations. Luminous output is 3550 lm at 50W and 4000K or 3220 lm at 3000K and 50W. CRI is 80.

When illuminated, the Lumination LED troffer produces an even glow and complies with the required UGR 19 glare rating for office lighting. When the panel is off, it appears free of a light source, unlike fluorescent fixtures.

“The Lumination brand signals our arrival in LED fixture design and aspires to shape the future of indoor lighting,” says Steve Briggs, vice president of marketing and product management for GE Lighting Solutions. “Whether making a bold statement in your office, optimizing a selling environment to dazzle customers or creating a calming healthcare setting, these fixtures are unlike anything you’ve seen before.”

The projected life to 85 percent of initial lumens is 50,000 hours and the product is supplied with a 5-year warranty. DALI or 1-10V dimming is standard and the system is compatible with daylight harvesting control systems for additional energy savings.

GE provided an energy savings analysis comparison with various fluorescent fixtures. The minimal energy savings is 11 percent annually relative to a four-lamp T5 fluorescent tube configuration. Estimated energy savings of 26 percent can be achieved relative to a two-lamp twin-tube fluorescent configuration.

GE Lighting Solutions has stated that it expects to introduce more than ten new luminaires in the next year and a half including including linear, suspended-fixture and surface-mounted troffers.

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03
Feb
2012

LED Products Make up 18% of Lighting Sales at Philips

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LED products continue to grow in importance for Philips’ lighting business, while new LED families have been introduced by Philips Lumileds.

Philips has revealed that sales in its lighting business were EUR 2.072 billion for the fourth quarter of 2011, (from total company sales of EUR 6.7 billion). The company said that its LED-based sales (including all types of products, from packaged LEDs to lamps and luminaires) grew 37% compared to Q4 2010: LED products now represent 18% of total Lighting sales (or EUR 373 million for the quarter).

Philips’ overall Lighting sales for the quarter increased 7% year-on-year, driven by double-digit sales growth in the Lamps and Automotive groups, and mid-single-digit sales growth at Professional Luminaires, but this was partly offset by a sales decrease at Lumileds, the company’s LED-manufacturing subsidiary. Lumileds will be hoping that its new CEO and new product lines such as the multi-LED Luxeon K modules will reverse this trend.

Earnings before interest, taxes and amortization (EBITA) for the lighting business were EUR 41 million, compared to EUR 198 million in Q4 2010. Philips said that the year-on-year EBITA decrease was due to “continued operational issues at Consumer Luminaires and Lumileds, as well as macroeconomic factors which impacted pricing in our consumer lighting businesses.”

In 2011, Philips’ total sales for lighting were EUR 7.638 billion (see chart), of which 5%, or EUR 380 million (approx. $500 million) was from packaged LEDs (i.e. Lumileds).

In comparison, Cree’s revenue for LED products (including LED components and chips, but not lighting products) was approximately $760 million in 2011.

Elsewhere, Philips said that its sales of all LED-based products amounted to EUR 1.2 billion in 2011, up from EUR 1.0 billion in 2010. The company described itself as “the largest LED luminaires company” and said that its “LED lamps market share exceeds our share in conventional lamps.” Also mentioned was that Philips’ LED licensing program has over 140 licensees.

According to an article on the Smart Planet website, Philips CEO Frans van Houten indicated that the company could soon cut prices on LED light bulbs. A spokesperson for Philips was quoted in the article as saying: “We expect that prices of LED light bulbs will go significantly down in the next couple of years because of product/cost innovation and volume, thereby lowering the threshold for LED light-bulb adoption.”

New products join new CEO at Lumileds

Meanwhile, at Lumileds, the company started the year by announcing a new CEO, Pierre Yves Lesaicherre, and has since revealed two new families of LEDs that will be on show at next week’s Strategies in Light meeting.

The Luxeon M is designed for outdoor and industrial LED lighting applications, and is a multichip, 8-watt, 12-volt package on an aluminum nitride (AlN) substrate. A rnage of color temperatures – 3000K, 4000K, and 5700K – will be available with a minimum CRI of 70.

All the products are “hot tested” and specified at 85°C junction temperature. Luxeon M produces more than 900 lm at 700 mA, and has 120 lm/W efficacy at 350 mA.

The Luxeon K family is a range of LED arrays, with between 4 and 24 LEDs, which are designed for retrofit and downlight LED-lighting applications. The typical flux at 700 mA ranges from 620 to 4455 lm, measured at 85°C.

The CCT will be 2700K, 3000K or 4000K, with a guaranteed minimum CRI of 80 and typical CRI of 85.

Both Luxeon M and Luxeon K will be available in the second quarter of 2012, says Lumileds.

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