Unilux will introduce an entire family of pulsed LED inspection lights to the Asian label printing and converting industry at LabelExpo Asia 2009, Dec. 1-4, 2009 at the Shanghai New Exhibition Center.
Unilux will demonstrate LED versions of its most widely used stroboscopic inspection lights for label applications, including press, slitter and rewinder inspection, in Booth H49.
Unilux pulsed LED inspection lights will include the LED 1XF, equivalent in illumination to the popular Cricket; the LED 1XS, equivalent to the Scout; LED 5X2, 46 centimeters (18 inches) long and similar to the LOL-20 with the capability to expand to 3 meters; LED 1X3, similar to the Tracker, and the Pocket Pixel. Unilux also will display its proven LOL-5, LOL-20, LOL-40, Guardian, Cricket, Tracker and Miti-Lite.
“LEDs are the wave of the future,” says Michael P. Simonis, president, Unilux, “but they are not for every printing or labeling application. Their softer light makes them best-suited for inspecting labels and packaging with highly reflective coatings, foils or metalised substrates or on high-speed lines.
"Pulsed LED lights can replace strobes with Xenon lamps where inspectors sometimes need to dial down the intensity or use frosted glass to avoid harsh reflections. When combining pulsed LEDs with our unique reflector designs, Unilux can provide even illumination across the entire surface.”
The Unilux LED family of inspection lights carry a higher initial cost than the strobe lights with Xenon lamps, but the LED lamps do not have the same replacement costs.
An LED can last for a projected 100,000 hours, and that could be five to eight years for most converting and printing operations. Replacement can be scheduled to avoid unplanned downtime. These factors bring them closer in life-cycle costs.
“The costs are about the same over a 3-5 year operating period, with the cost savings on the LED units being better after that,” says Kirk Nell, Asia manager.
“As the market builds and the cost of LED lights comes down, our cost will come down. Using pulsed LEDs for inspection requires a much more powerful light than most other LED applications, and that is also a factor.
"Cost, however, should be the secondary consideration. The selection of pulsed LED or stroboscopic inspection lighting really comes down to the application.”
“LEDs can have a better light output than Xenon lamps when you have a flash rate greater than 15,000 flashes per second,” adds Joe Zhao, China marketing manager.
“That makes the pulsed LED better for high-speed, highly reflective printing. Xenon strobes are still better for most other printing applications.
"The real importance is that Unilux can actually offer our customers the best lighting solution to meet their exact needs. It is not about developing an LED light or a Xenon lamp; it’s about being able to guide the customer to which light is best for them and to help produce the best final product. Only Unilux can do both.”
Unilux solutions are built around stroboscopic surface inspection lighting that enables operators to spot defects at full production speeds, which can exceed 750 meters per minute (2,200 feet per minute).
Operators can use their knowledge of products and production systems to determine the severity of the defect and take steps to find and eliminate its cause.
The company has combined its high-speed inspection lighting with high-speed video and photography systems to provide engineering departments with visual data to develop long-term solutions to repetitive production problems.
Unilux designs and manufactures stroboscopic and pulsed LED inspection lights ranging from handheld, battery-powered units for spot or narrow-web inspection or maintenance or troubleshooting applications to fixed-mounted units capable of inspecting surfaces up to 36 feet (12m) wide either individually or in combination.
Unilux lights are designed to withstand industrial environments, including the heat and humidity of steel and paper mills.